A Journey To Find A Lost Soul
by Dark-Supernatural-Angel
Summary: When she's taken out of town in 1x11, Elena is introduced to Casey; a woman that's been in Damon's life since he was a little boy. While Damon and the gang deal with the chaos that surrounds MF, Casey remains in the shadows as Damon's confidante as he deals with the greatest challenge of all; keeping his soulmate alive while suffering through another love triangle. *Changed Sum.*
1. Ch 1: Time Out

"**A Journey To Find A Lost Soul"**

**Chapter 1: Time Out  
><strong>

**A/N #1: **I know I shouldn't be starting a new story but I just couldn't resist and I figured since I'm going on my vacation tomorrow, now would be a good time to post this new story. This idea has been in my mind since episode 2x12 of _Vampire Diaries_ and if you've read my one shot **"I Miss Being Human" **then this story is kinda of a prequel to that. **Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

**NEW: **If you noticed, I changed the summary for this story because I originally planned to post the three installments of the story (I planned it that way) as three separate stories but I decided to post it all under this story and just tell you of the time jumps between installments, so the **new** summary refers to the whole story.**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Vampire Diaries. They belong to their respective owners (I thank them for creating them in the first place). Recognizable dialogue comes from VD episode _'Bloodlines'._

* * *

><p><strong>OLD Summary<strong>: After Damon rescues Elena from her car accident, he takes her out of town…what if instead of taking her to Atlanta, Georgia, he takes her up north for a night that will truly open her eyes. Elena is in for a surprise when she sees Damon with a certain girl with big blue eyes. [Crossover yet VD-centric]

**NEW** **Summary**: Instead of visiting a dear friend alone, Damon takes along Elena just when a rogue vampire flips her car over [1x11]. As time goes on, Damon learns that it might not be Katherine that he needs in order to gain what he's missed most in the world. Will Damon finally get the ending he's been waiting for since he turned or are there just too many obstacles for him to handle? [Crossover yet VD-centric]

**Remember: **For _Vampire Diaries_, this is right after the episode where Elena sleeps with Stefan for the first time just before finding out that she's an exact physical replica to Katherine Pierce.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Vampire Diaries <strong>_**Timeline: **starts off at the beginning of Episode #1.11 – 'Bloodlines' (with focus only on Damon and Elena)

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p>Elena Gilbert was feeling a little groggy and light-headed when she woke up to the warmth of the sun shining down on her face. She groaned as she wiped the sleep from her eyes before realizing that she was in a car as the scenery outside blurred before her eyes. Before she panicked, once the events of last night's accident popped back into her mind, she couldn't help but be relieved that at least the driver was someone she <em>knew<em>; it may have been someone she disliked but it was better than the man who was after her.

"Morning Sleepyhead." Damon Salvatore greeted the now alert teenager in the passenger seat of his car.

She groaned. "Where are we?" She questioned as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"New York." Damon answered as his attention was focused on the road as he awaited for the inevitable freakout.

Elena's brow furrowed out of confusion; not believing that the vampire beside her was telling her the truth. "New York? No, no. No, we're not. Seriously, Damon. Where are we?" She protested as she surveyed her passing surroundings with no luck finding anything that she recognized. _This is not good_, she thought immediately.

Damon rolled his eyes as he mentally questioned _why_ he brought Elena along with him in the first place. "Seriously, we're...we're in New York." He deadpanned before he looked to the brunette beside him. "How are you feeling?" He asked softly as he took in her confused expression.

"I…I…" She hesitated, not really sure _how_ she was at the moment but Damon saved her the trouble of answering by jumping right into it.

"There's no broken bones. I checked." He announced as he returned his focus back onto the road.

Elena nodded her head slowly as she tried to process everything that happened. "But my car. There was a man. I hit a man. But then he got up and-who was that?" She questioned with each realization being emphasized by her panicked tone.

"That's what I would like to know."

Elena started shuffling in her seat as the idea to call home had suddenly hit her. "Where is my phone? Okay. We really need to go back. Nobody knows where I am." She exclaimed but when she realized that he wasn't listening to her, she turned her body towards him. "Pull over." She demanded but he continued on with his driving. Elena's anger only grew. "I mean it, Damon. Pull over!"

Damon turned his head to face her with an arched eyebrow expression while he still continued down the road they were on.

Elena was furious at this point yet panicking on the inside. "Stop the car!"

Damon growled under his breath as he looked towards the clock on the dashboard. _I'm already late because of her. _He angrily thought to himself before he spoke. "Oh you were so much more fun when you were asleep." He sarcastically stated as he pulled his blue 1967 Chevy Camaro over.

Both passengers get out of the car, Elena with a little trouble as she felt the bruises her body had collected during the crash. As she slumped over in hopes that it would ease the pain, Damon used his vampire speed to race to Elena's side to help her. His presence and his obvious concern for her threw Elena off but she couldn't help but reassure the vampire that she was alright.

Elena took a few steps forward as she got her bearings back before she turned back to face Damon. "We have to go back." She stated firmly as she thought back to how she had left things in Mystic Falls; leaving Stefan, not going home for the night therefore causing worry for her Jenna…she had to go back.

"Oh come on. Look. We've already come this far." Damon argued back with a smirk as he closed the distance between them.

Elena shot him an incredulous look. "Why are you doing this? I _can't_ be in New York. I wrecked my car. I have to go home…This is kidnapping." She pointed out to him, one by one, as she gave him a heated glare.

Damon shook his head in mock disappointment as he lightly placed his hand on her shoulder. "That's a little melodramatic, don't you think?"

"You're not funny." She deadpanned, causing the vampire to remove his hand and take a step back. "You can't do this. I'm not going to New York." She declared as she watched Damon cross his arms over his chest as he leaned against his car.

Damon scoffed. He couldn't believe that she actually thought that telling him all this crap would _make_ him change his mind. "You're in New York and we're just outside of Buffalo." He countered causing her to turn away with a huff. He smirked at the sight. "Without your magical necklace I might add." He was satisfied when he heard a catch in her breath before he saw her hands move to her neck as she felt for the jewelry that was no longer there. "I can very easily make you..._agreeable_."

"What are you trying to prove?" She sneered as she turned to face him.

Before Damon had a chance to answer, they were interrupted by a cell phone's ringer. Elena's eyes widened when she realized that it was her phone and she immediately glared at Damon once again when it become obvious that he had her phone on him somewhere.

"That's my phone."

Damon smirked before he pulled the object in question out. He took a look at her screen and he snickered at the flashing name. "Mmm. It's your boyfriend." He stated as he handed her the phone but he was more amused when she refused with a turn of her head. "I'll take it." He declared before he clicked the appropriate buttons to accept the call. "Elena's phone."

"_Where is she? Why do you have her phone? Is she okay?_" Stefan's voice questioned in a hurry with obvious worried laced in his tone.

"Elena? She's right here. And, yes, she's…fine." Damon deadpanned while he watched Elena.

"_Where are you? Let me speak to her._" Stefan demanded.

Damon rolled his eyes before he offered the phone back to Elena. "He wants to talk to you."

Elena glared at the phone while her hand was still around her neck. "Uh-uh."

Damon pulled the phone back, very pleased that the _blissful _couple seemed to be having a lover's quarrel, before he continued to speak to his brother. "Yeah. I don't- I don't think she wants to talk to you right now."

Stefan growled under his breath. "Damon, I swear to god, if you touch her…"

Damon smirked into the phone due to his brother's attempts of being intimidating. "You have a good day. Mm-hmm. Bye now." He immediately disconnected the call with a mischievous look on his face.

When Damon turned his attention back on Elena, he noticed that she was now standing a few feet away from him. He slowly approached her yet he wasn't surprised when she started to talk to him again.

"No one knows where I am. Can we please just go back?" She asked before she turned around to face him.

"We're almost there." He countered back without missing a beat.

"Where is there?"

Damon sighed. "HSBC Arena." When he saw her confused face, he continued his plan to persuade her into continuing on with their trip. "Oh, come on, Elena. You don't wanna go back right now…do you? What's the rush?" He questioned as he watched her resolve slowly break in her eyes. "Time-out. Trust me. Your problems are still going to be there when you get home…Look, step away from your life for one night." He offered and he was very pleased when she turned to give it some thought.

Elena didn't know what to do. It was a tempting offer but it wasn't that easy to forget all your troubles and she couldn't help but feel guilty for all the worrisome thoughts she's caused her family to endure with while she's been _traveling _with Damon but what choice did she have? It seemed like Damon would do anything to continue on with their journey whether Elena liked it or not.

Elena turned to Damon with a fierce look in her eyes. "One night." She stated which caused Damon to give her a triumphant smirk but before he could say anything in return, she cut him off. "Am I going to be safe with you?

"Yes."

Elena nodded her head. "Will you promise not to do that mind control thing with me?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Yes."

"Can I trust you?" She softly questioned him as she looked him in the eyes, an intense stare-down started between the two of them and she was sure that she knew what his answer would be but what he said had her feeling a little disappointed.

"Get in the car." He told her before he made his way towards the driver's side of his Camaro.

She remained frozen in place as she released a sigh as her thoughts kept running through her mind. _How can I be safe with him if I can't trust him? _

"Come on." His voice broke her out of her thoughts, causing her to move towards the passenger seat as he settled into the driver's seat.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

Their drive was silent as both for the Camaro's passengers were stuck in their thoughts; Elena with her thoughts on the previous night and Damon with his thoughts on what's waiting for him at their destination.

Elena noticed Damon tapping the steering wheel a few times as well as a few secretive grins before she had enough. She wanted some answers and she was definitely going to get them.

"So, where's my car?"

"I pulled it off on the side of the road. I don't think anyone will bother it." He stated with a nonchalant shrug as he continued to tap an imaginary tune onto the steering wheel.

"What about that man in the road? Was he a...?" She trailed off as if she couldn't even udder the word at the moment.

"From what I could tell…yeah." Damon stated in a frustrated tone because he never liked _not_ knowing things. He always liked having the upper hand when it came to situations.

Elena's brow furrowed out of confusion. "You don't know him?"

"If I've never met him, I wouldn't know him." He clarified with an eye roll before he turned to look at her. "I mean, it's not like we all hang out together at the vamp bar and grill." He quipped with a smirk before he turned back onto the road.

Elena thought that over for a moment. She didn't know why she assumed that one vampire would know _every_ vampire out there…that would be impossible. Before she could say anything on the subject, she was interrupted by another ringing of a cell phone. She instantly groaned at the idea of having to come up with a lie pertaining to her whereabouts, not even realizing that the ring wasn't coming from _her _phone.

Damon took a quick look at the dashboard's clock before he cursed under his breath as he reached into his jacket pocket to retrieve his phone. "Hang on." He said when he noticed that Elena's attention was on him the moment he cursed. He managed to answer the phone on the fourth ring. "Yeah?"

"_Damon where are you?_" The caller shouted over the line, loud enough for Damon to move the phone away from his ears and for Elena to hear and realize that it wasn't a voice she recognized.

Damon growled a bit before he placed the phone back to his ear. "Hey now, there is no need to shout at me. I can hear you perfectly fine thank you very much." He sarcastically stated.

The caller sighed. "_Sorry it's__ just…it's already half time Damon and you promised you'd be here._" Damon could hear the desperation in his caller's voice and he couldn't be mad at the kid anymore.

"And I'll be there. I just had a small…delay when it came to leaving town but I'm just reaching the city now and with my driving, I'll be there in five minutes." Damon declared as he looked to Elena before turning his attention back on the road. Elena couldn't hear the other side of the conversation anymore but she couldn't help but watch Damon as he spoke on the phone while her peripheral vision picked up that they were now reaching the city's limits.

"_Okay_." The caller sighed but Damon could hear that the boy's voice was a little tense due to the game.

Damon scoffed. "Don't sound like your dog died. I said I'll be there and I _will_ be there. Have I ever broken a promise before?"

There was a slight pause before Damon got an answer. "_From what she's told me, no you haven't._"

Damon chuckled under his breath. "And I'm not gonna start now so lighten up and go win or I'll be giving you hell afterwards." The vampire quipped as he maneuvered his car throughout the streets of Buffalo.

Although Damon couldn't see him, the caller was smirking on the other line. "_Got__ it_."

"Good. Now what number are you again?"

"_Twenty_-_three_."

Damon laughed as so many representations came to mind when associated with that number. "What a coincidence."

"_What__ is?_" The vampire could hear the confusion in the boy's voice and he couldn't help but snicker. _All in due time my boy…all in due time. _

"Nothing. I'll tell you if you win. Now go." He commanded before he immediately ended the call and returned his phone to its rightful place.

Elena remained in her seat with a stunned yet confused expression on her face as she tried to make sense of Damon's phone call. When she had no luck on her own, she tried a different approach. "Who was that?"

"The reason why we _aren't_ leaving." He firmly stated as he sped down the main streets of Buffalo.

"Oh." She stated in a defeated sigh when she felt like that's all she was going to get from him.

Damon groaned when he heard her tone. "Whether you got in that accident last night or not Elena, I'd still be here right now. Granted I wouldn't be late but you get my point." He explained as he glanced at the clock before he stepped on the gas.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

Just as the vampire promised, it was five minutes from the phone call did he arrive in the packed parking lot of the HSBC Arena. Whether it was packed or not, that didn't stop this vampire from finding a spot for his Camaro.

Damon was out of the car before Elena could blink and before she knew it, her door opened up on its own. It wasn't until she had her feet planted on the ground did she look up into Damon's ice blue eyes as he waited for her with his hand stretched out for her. She gave him a quizzical look before she took it, having him pull her up from her seat. "So why are we here again?" She questioned as she moved out of the way so that he could close her door.

Damon sighed when he started leading her towards the arena, with his hand at the small of her back. "Championship hockey game in the post-secondary tournament circuit is going on _right__ now_ and if we go now, we'll be able to catch the rest of the second half." He explained in a hurry as he could easily hear the crowd inside the arena with his vampire hearing.

Elena didn't have time to register her surroundings as she was more focused on not tripping. It wasn't until they were inside the hallways of the HSBC Arena did she notice all the promotional banners that covered the walls.

She turned to give Damon a curious look as they made their way down one of the main hallways. "Hockey? I thought you were more of a football kind of guy."

Damon smirked as he flung his arm around Elena's shoulder. "I am but that doesn't mean I can't watch the sport."

"Oh." She stated before she shrugged her shoulders to get Damon's arm off of her.

Damon rolled his eyes for her not-so-subtle action but when he noticed that she was about to enter the main arena area, he quickly pulled her back. She gave him a confused look but he ignored it before he spoke. "Alright and before I forget, do _not_ say my name unless I tell you that you can."

Elena shot him a confused glance. "Come again?"

Damon could hear the buzzer going off inside the arena, followed by many cheers which gave him the conclusion that _someone_ scored a goal. He groaned before he looked Elena directly in the eyes. "Just don't say my name and I'll explain why _after_ the game." He stressed to her and by the look in his eyes, Elena knew that she needed to follow him just this once.

"Um…" She stated with a slow nod before Damon started rushing them through the arena doors.

Elena was surprised to see the stands crowded with fans as they supported the final teams in the championship game. She could see all the different school colors as she followed Damon up the bleachers and to a pair of empty seats at the end of a row. She could see a sea of white and purple on one side of the arena with banners associated with New York University (NYU) while the other side had banners that consisted of blues, yellows and reds that went with Queens University.

She watched as the two teams skated around the ice as they went after the black rubber puck. She was so involved in the game that she didn't realize that Damon was invading her personal space until she felt his cool breath on the side of her neck.

"We're looking out for Golden Gaels' player #23." He whispered into her ear, causing a shiver to travel down her spine for no reason but she instantly chalked that up to her body being cold since she didn't have a jacket. Damon snickered (because there was no doubt that he noticed) before he shrugged his leather jacket off and placed it over Elena's shoulders. The temperature had no real effect on the vampire so he didn't mind but when he felt her curious gaze on his face, he didn't look back at her as he focused his attention on tracking down the player he came to watch.

It wasn't long before Elena understood all the talk around her, with Damon's assistance of course at some points. She learned that the Violets, aka the NYU team, was playing against the Golden Gaels; the team from Queens University which was located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada and that the specific player that Damon wanted her to look out for was the captain of the team, a guy by the name of Venturi. She couldn't help but feel that the name felt familiar to her but it was one of those moments where the thought was on the tip of her tongue yet she couldn't place where she had heard it before.

Elena was too enthralled with the hockey game to notice Damon's attention being shifted from the game to scoping out the crowd as he tried to locate the second person he was supposed to meet up here in Buffalo.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

Elena was on her feet, screaming her heart out like the rest of the crowd when the buzzer rang only seconds after the Gaels' captain scored another goal and winning the championship game for Queens University.

Damon couldn't help but smile when he saw that Elena was enjoying herself. He too was having fun as he watched the hockey game before him. He's been to many championship games in practically all the leagues over the years but he couldn't help but feel that this particular one was his favorite.

They watched as the two teams shook hands before they were awarded their respective medals. Once a player had received their medal, they would take a lap, causing cheers to erupt among the crowd before the player would wait near the rink's exit that led to the locker room.

It was only after the winning team members received their medals, did Damon lead Elena out of the bleachers and back into the halls. "So what'd you think?" Damon asked as he led the way to where they needed to go.

Elena didn't know how to respond as the sheer adrenaline of watching the game was still coursing through her body. "I didn't think college hockey could be as aggressive as the NHL." She immediately wanted to smack her forehead for her answer, not believing that _that_ was the first thing that popped into her head when it came to Damon's question.

Damon chuckled. "Any sport at any level could be…aggressive Elena." He stated before coming to a complete stop since he could see that the locker room was just a bit further down the hall.

They would have continued down the hallway but he could sense that a few people were waiting by the doors and one of those people was someone he didn't want to see just yet.

Elena looked to Damon with a confused look when he had stopped her in his tracks. All he gave her was a mischievous smirk before he whispered to her that they would just wait right where they were.

Elena turned to take a look around her but when she saw that no one was in hearing distance of them, her confusion only deepened. "Why are you whispering?" She stated yet she couldn't help but whisper the question back to him.

"You'll see." Just by the way he said those words did Elena know that Damon wasn't telling her something and she didn't like that. She didn't like being kept in the dark but if she's learned anything by now about the vampire, it was that he was one stubborn immortal so she wouldn't be getting any answers unless he wanted her to know them.

So they waited.

Damon was leaning calmly against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest as he shifted his gaze from the Gaels' locker room door (that he could perfectly see from the far distance due to his vampire abilities) to a pacing Elena, whose patience seemed to be wearing out. She had on many occasions tried to get Damon to answer a few questions but he always managed to stop her from uttering more than three words at a time and that fact really infuriated the teenager.

It was about fifteen or twenty minutes after they arrived in the hallway did Damon finally see some of the players exiting the locker rooms and being greeted by their friends and family members. It wasn't long before Damon instantly spotted the Gaels' captain as he tried to weave his way through the growing crowd around the locker rooms. He watched as the captain managed to find an empty spot before he was tackled by a girl as she gave him a victorious hug.

Damon smirked when he saw the girl in the captain's arms. _There she is. _

Before Elena could process what was happening, Damon was leading her towards the locker room crowd…to the captain and the girl to be more precise.

"I know you scored the game winning goal Venturi but that doesn't mean you get to _hog _the girl." Damon quipped at the captain when him and Elena (who now stared at Damon with wide eyes for his comment) were close enough to the hugging couple.

The captain turned his attention to Damon with a smirk on his face as he still held the girl in his arms. What surprised Elena the most was the girl's reaction to Damon's comment as her head whipped around to the vampire only to have her irritated expression turn into one of shock before it turned into one of glee.

Elena watched as the captain, Venturi, released his hold on the girl as she turned in his arms to face Damon before she took off and ran towards them as she shouted out Damon's name. Elena turned to face Damon for some answers but she was thrown for a loop when she saw a genuinely excited smile on the vampire's face as he waited for the girl to come to him. The vampire didn't hesitate to catch the girl when she threw herself into Damon's arms, her arms instantly wrapped around his neck as she hugged him as if her life depended on it. Elena watched in amazement when she noticed that Damon was holding the girl just as tightly as he twirled her around, earning a few giggles from the girl and to Elena's surprise once again a few genuine laughs from the vampire himself.

"I missed you so much!" The girl exclaimed into Damon's neck as her grip on him tightened.

Damon sighed as he held her tightly in his arms. "I missed you too!" He sincerely stated before he stopped his twirling and placed the girl back on the floor. It had been seven years since the last time he's seen her and Damon didn't want to let her go. She pulled back from the hug but she still remained in his arms. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it last month." He apologized.

The girl raised her hand to Damon's cheek as she giving him a beaming smile. "I know and it doesn't matter, you're _here_ now. That's all I care about!" She excited stated which got her another smile from the vampire.

Elena continued to look between the two before her and she couldn't believe how Damon was behaving at the moment. _Was it all an act? _She couldn't help but wonder since this was a side of Damon Salvatore that she hadn't been exposed to in the three months that she's known the vampire.

She took this time to actually look at the girl who held Damon's attention and Elena couldn't believe how stunning she looked. She had beautiful black hair that flowed in flawless ringlets that ended just above her shoulder, she had a body that any girl dreamed of having and it showed in no matter what the girl wore whether it were a beautiful dress or in a simple outfit such as a pair of blue skinny jeans and a tight-fit red sweater underneath a thin yellow vest (it wasn't long before she realized that the outfit was in the Queens University colors). She also seemed to have this pleasant aura surrounding her and Elena had this sudden feeling of envy towards the girl for reasons she wasn't quite sure of…were they for her gorgeous looks or was it the fact that she held _Damon's _interest?

"It's about time I got to meet you face to face Damon." The captain's voice broke through Elena's stunned stupor causing her attention to turn to the young man just as he approached them with his hand held out.

Elena noticed that the young man was definitely handsome and he could be a couple years older than herself which was evident when she noticed that on his team jacket it had four stripes which gave her the conclusion that the captain before her was on the team for four years. His slightly shaggy brown hair seemed to be covering his chocolate brown eyes as he sported a playful smirk on his face as his attention was on Damon and the girl. Elena noticed his hockey bag was slung over his shoulders as he waited for Damon to take his hand in a greeting shake.

Damon chuckled when he shifted the ecstatic girl in his arms to the side, her arms instantly wrapped around his waist, as he returned the hand shake to the hockey player. "At least you had a name to a face before today. All I had was your name." Damon quipped back with a smirk, earning both a chuckle from the hockey player and slight smack to the chest from the black-haired beauty.

"That's not true and you know it." The mystery girl playfully chided which just stunned Elena even more on how comfortable the girl seemed to be in Damon's presence.

Damon rolled his eyes as he gave a playful glare down at the girl in his arms. "Whatever."

Elena cleared her throat, finding herself feeling a bit uncomfortable around the newcomers when Damon seemed to be so completely at ease with them in his presence. "Um, Damon?"

Immediately three heads snapped towards Elena as they gave her their undivided attention; Damon with a curious smirk aimed at Elena while the girl was still firmly in his arms, the captain with a slightly shocked expression on his face when he looked at Elena and then there was the girl, who's expression stunned the brunette the most. Elena's breath hitched when their eyes locked as it wasn't the wide-eyed expression on her face that stunned the teenager, but it was the fact that she was staring at Elena with these deep oceanic eyes of hers that instantly reminded the brunette of the vampire who held the blue-eyed beauty in his arms.

The black-haired, blue-eyed beauty seemed to recover faster than Elena as she gave the brunette a pleasant smile. "You must be Elena." Her melodic voice stated causing both Damon and Elena to look at her with quizzical expressions yet the beauty in Damon's arms ignored their gaze as she continued on with one of her hands stretched out towards Elena. "I'm Casey McDonald."

Elena shook her head a bit before she took Casey's proffered hand in hers. "Elena Gilbert."

There was a brief pause the moment their hands touched before Casey's smile widened with a mischievous gleam in her blue eyes. "I know."

Damon continued to look at his best friend suspiciously as he had felt her tense up in his arms during that brief pause moments ago. It reaction wasn't as obvious anymore but he learned long ago that it was a common occurrence with Casey McDonald shortly after he met her when he was seven. Damon Salvatore knew practically everything there was to know about Casey McDonald and vice versa but then again how could they not after spending 162 years together traveling the world while dealing with their vampiric natures. The thing is they weren't just best friends; they were also family and only a selected few knew that fact after they turned. Over the decades she's gone by many names but when they were human she went by the name of _Cassandra_ _Salvatore_. Very few people knew that Casey was actually Damon's biological half-sister thanks to their father Giuseppe Salvatore, who had a short affair with Esmeralda Mereana (a witch) two years after Damon was born. The town just believed that the Salvatores adopted Damon's best friend after she became an orphan at the age of ten (due to her mother's passing). Damon's own mother never knew that Casey was Giuseppe's illegitimate daughter yet Cecilia Salvatore loved Casey as if she were her own daughter.

"Yeah, how did you know that? Bringing Elena was a last minute decision." Damon interjected after snapping out of his thoughts pertaining to his human life with his half-sister.

Casey turned her attention back to Damon with a knowing smirk on her lips. "You know I have ways of finding out things Damon. You of all people should know that by now." She quipped as she stared Damon down as if they were having a silent conversation with one another, which was quite possible between these two.

The captain snickered when he noticed the start of the stare-down before he turned to face Elena with his hand stretch out between them. "Glad you could make it Elena. I'm Derek Venturi, Casey's boyfriend." He introduced himself while they shook hands.

Elena gave Derek a grateful smile as she felt that nagging feeling that she _knew_ this hockey player from somewhere. The name sounded familiar to her and with the way he was looking at her, as if he knew who she was, gave her the impression that they have met before. "This may sound odd but have we met before?"

Derek chuckled as he looked Elena over. He was stunned at first when he first saw her due to the many pictures and stories Casey's told him pertaining to Miss Katherine Pierce but when he heard her name, he couldn't believe that it was really Elena in front of him and not the vampire ice queen herself.

"Does _Little Lena_ ring any bells for you?" Derek teased and he was very pleased when he saw her dark brown eyes widened.

Both vampires heard the little catch in Elena's breath when they heard the nickname, leaving a curious Damon and a pleased Casey. "No ones called me that since I was a kid." She whispered as she tried to wrap her mind around the person who usually called her that specific nickname.

Derek smiled as he titled his head to the side, putting up the façade that he was deep in thought for the moment. "Well it has been awhile since I've been to Mystic Falls."

As the words left his mouth, it all slammed into Elena so fast she thought that she couldn't breathe. She remembered a preteen with shaggy brown hair and mischievous brown eyes visiting the town whenever there was a holiday. She would remember him playing road hockey with Tyler and Matt as she watched at the side of the curb with Caroline, Bonnie, Jeremy and another little boy with short brown hair and big brown doe eyes like his brother. Her mind suddenly flashed to the moment she first met Derek.

**"_Is it wise for a young girl like you to be out here alone?" She was sitting outside by the quarry when she heard the voice behind her. Her seven-year-old self turned to see a boy she'd never met before but he seemed friendly enough. _**

**"_No but now I'm not alone. Are you new here?" Elena questioned the boy with shaggy brown hair and big brown eyes as he slowly approached her to take a seat right beside her. _**

**"_I'm visiting some relatives for the summer. I just got into town actually." He stated as he looked out towards the water. _**

**_She continued to watch him, not wanting to make herself vulnerable with a stranger so close to her. "Who are you visiting?" _**

**"_My cousin Tyler."_**

**_Her eyes had widened at the name. "Tyler Lockwood's your cousin?" _**

**_The boy turned to face her with an amused expression on his face. "Is there another Tyler in town?"_**

**_Elena slowly shook her head from side to side. "Nope."_**

**_The boy smirked as he leaned back with his hands supporting him up as he watched Elena. "Then that's him. I'm Derek, Derek Venturi."_**

Before Elena knew it, another moment flashed to the forefront of her mind.

**"_Aww, is Little Lena afraid of getting dirty." Derek mocked as he gestured towards the muddy soccer field where Matt, Tyler, Jeremy and his brother, Edwin, were kicking a soccer ball around. Bonnie and Caroline had family obligations that day so Elena only had the guys to hang out with that day. _**

**"_Why do you call me that?" She shyly questioned as she changed the topic, not really feeling like playing soccer that day. _**

**_Derek shrugged with a smirk on his face. "Because it's true."_**

**_Elena pouted as she placed her hands on her hips. "How so?"_**

**_Derek snickered. "You're younger and you're smaller than me."_**

**"_By only four years and girls are supposed to be smaller than boys." She protested with a huff. _**

**_Derek laughed as he started to walk backwards a few steps. "We can argue it all you want Elena but you'll always be Little Lena to me."_**

The memory started to fade and Elena couldn't help but smile at the memory. At the time she would get annoyed by the name but now she found it very sweet.

"You're Tyler Lockwood's cousin Derek right?" Derek nodded as his smile widened when she finally made the connection. Elena smiled right back at her former tormentor. "I thought your last name sounded familiar."

Derek chuckled. "Small world huh?"

Elena nodded, feeling a little more at ease that she at least knew Derek from her childhood. "Tell me about it."

Damon cleared his throat with Casey still wrapped around his side. "Now that everyone knows…everyone, let's get out of here and celebrate." He suggested as he started to head towards the exit, immediately grabbing hold of Elena's hand with his free one.

Before Damon could pull Casey too far ahead, she grabbed a hold of her boyfriend's hand before she continued on the path Damon was setting for them. "And I have just the perfect place in mind." She stated with a playful gleam in her eyes. _This is gonna be one hell of a celebration!_

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Second Fandom: <strong>_Life With Derek _(only two main characters will be present while the rest will only be mentioned)

_Casey McDonald_ (aka Cassandra Salvatore) – Witch/Vampire - Age: 168 (turned at 23 yet she physically looks like she's 21 at the moment due to a spell)

_Derek Venturi_ – Human - Age: 21

I was too lazy to create two new original characters when I really wanted to write Derek and Casey in this position so I figured this would be a slight crossover since I will be using the simple back story of these characters from the second fandom but with a twist that incorporates the whole vampire thing. **You don't need to have watched _Life with Derek_ beforehand as anything involving that fandom, I will be sure to explain it in the story if it's relevant.**

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN #2: **So what did you think? I know it's long for the first chapter but I really wanted Elena to meet Casey in the first chapter as she takes a first glimpse of a different Damon when he's around Casey, his sister (a fact that Elena is unaware of at the moment). **So please let me know what you think in a review! **

**A/N #3: **So if you haven't already, check out my one shot **"I Miss Being Human" **which takes place a couple months into the future from when the events of this chapter take place.

**A/N #4: **Before I forget...has anyone else seen the new season 3 sneak peek with Damon/Elena? *fans self* Elena is one lucky girl in that scenario ;D

**NEWS: **Alright so I created a master list for this story (through my LJ account) and that is where you can find the links pertaining to the Salvatore/Mereana Family Tree (I finally finished it and posted it in 4 parts...5 files total.) For some reason I couldn't continuing writing until I finished the family tree so I hope you all take a look at it! **Thanks!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Originally Published:<strong> July 29, 2011

**Edited:** August 18, 2011


	2. Ch 2: I'm New To This

"**A Journey To Find A Lost Soul"**

**Chapter 2: I'm New To This  
><strong>

**A/N #1:** Hey everyone! I just wanted to say that with August coming to an end (BOO!), it means that I have to take a step back from fanfiction for the semester and do my course work. I won't update as frequently/often as some of you have become familiar with but do know that I plan to finish this story (it's been stuck in my head since the new year started).

**A/N #2: **Special thanks to **Enx2103**, **Ghostwriter** and **MoonlitePrincez314 **for reviewing this story and **thank you **to those that added this story to their alerts/favs list. **It truly means a lot to me!**

**A/N #3: **Once again I apologize for any grammatical errors in the story, I'm not a writer-in-training as I'm only write this for fun. I do try my best with the editing though (although with it being my 2nd round of editing since the 1st round didn't go through the site earlier -_-). Anyways...enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Vampire Diaries or Life With Derek. They belong to their respective owners (I thank them for creating them in the first place). Recognizable dialogue comes from VD episode _'Bloodlines'._

_McDowell's Pub_ and any other unrecognizable characters mentioned in the story are of my own creation...they belong to me!_  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>OLD Summary<strong>: After Damon rescues Elena from her car accident, he takes her out of town…what if instead of taking her to Atlanta, Georgia, he takes her up north for a night that will truly open her eyes. Elena is in for a surprise when she sees Damon with a certain girl with big blue eyes. [Crossover yet VD-centric]

**NEW** **Summary**: Instead of visiting a dear friend alone, Damon takes along Elena just when a rogue vampire flips her car over [1x11]. As time goes on, Damon learns that it might not be Katherine that he needs in order to gain what he's missed most in the world. Will Damon finally get the ending he's been waiting for since he turned or are there just too many obstacles for him to handle? [Crossover yet VD-centric]

**Remember: **For _Vampire Diaries_, this is right after the episode where Elena sleeps with Stefan for the first time just before finding out that she's an exact physical replica to Katherine Pierce.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Vampire Diaries <strong>_**Timeline: **starts off at the beginning of Episode #1.11 – 'Bloodlines' (with focus only on Damon and Elena)

_**Life With Derek **_**Timeline****: **AU (due to specific changes) but it takes place when Casey and Derek (21 – 4th Year) are at Queen's University

* * *

><p><strong>LAST TIME:<strong>

The memory started to fade and Elena couldn't help but smile at the memory. At the time she would get annoyed by the name but now she found it very sweet.

"You're Tyler Lockwood's cousin Derek right?" Derek nodded as his smile widened when she finally made the connection. Elena smiled right back at her former tormentor. "I thought your last name sounded familiar."

Derek chuckled. "Small world huh?"

Elena nodded, feeling a little more at ease that she at least knew Derek from her childhood. "Tell me about it."

Damon cleared his throat with Casey still wrapped around his side. "Now that everyone knows…everyone, let's get out of here and celebrate." He suggested as he started to head towards the exit, immediately grabbing hold of Elena's hand with his free one.

Before Damon could pull Casey too far ahead, she grabbed a hold of her boyfriend's hand before she continued on the path Damon was setting for them. "And I have just the perfect place in mind." She stated with a playful gleam in her eyes. _This is gonna be on hell of a celebration!_

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p>Casey McDonald couldn't believe the night she was having. She was in Buffalo to support her hockey captain boyfriend of three years at the championship game and not only did he bring home the win for Queens University, but her <em>brother<em> was also there for the game and post-game celebration. She just couldn't believe it. She hadn't seen Damon in seven years when they had to split up in Texas when they had caught the eye of a vampire hunter. Casey didn't want to split up from her brother as it was too soon for that to happen for them but Damon insisted if they both wanted to stay alive. So they had contacted one of Casey's descendents in hopes that they would help hide Casey and they graciously accepted, leaving Casey to become a McDonald while Damon traveled across the country to lead the hunter away from his sister before he eliminated the threat. At first Casey didn't like the idea of going into hiding but if it hadn't been for that specific separation, Casey never would have met Derek, the current stepson of the descendent she was pretending to be the daughter of. **(A/N: In **_**LWD**_**, Casey and Derek are known as the stepsiblings that couldn't stand each other yet they have a unique dynamic that's established between them making many fans to become **_**Dasey**_** fans). **

"Hey, where's your head at?" Derek questioned as he slung his arm over her shoulders. He managed to leave his hockey gear in Damon's Camaro as they were now just walking the short distance of where Casey (and Damon) had planned to take them.

"You knew this whole time and you didn't tell me." She stated instead but by her tone, Derek knew that she wasn't actually mad at him for keeping Damon's arrival a secret from her. He rarely kept anything from her after he found out her secret when he was sixteen; a year after meeting her.

"He wanted to surprise you." Derek declared as he tugged his girlfriend closer to his body, her arms instantly wrapping around his waist.

"Well he definitely succeeded there." She stated with a smile before she turned to look over her shoulder to give Damon a wink, knowing full well that he was listening in on their conversation.

Damon smirked when he saw the wink as he walked alongside Elena, who had remained quiet since they left his car. "What is it Little Lena?" He questioned in a teasing tone, as he used the nickname Derek called her back at the rink.

Elena looked up to glare at him but that didn't faze Damon in the slightest. "Don't call me that Damon."

Damon snickered. "Only if you tell me how Derek managed to give you _that_ nickname." He negotiated as he tilted his head towards the hockey player in front of him who was currently whispering things into his girlfriend's ear; things Damon would rather not listen to at the moment.

Elena raised an eyebrow at Damon. "And if I don't?"

Damon smirked as he flung his arm over Elena's shoulders. "Well then I guess you won't be learning about the adventures of Damon and Casey." He teased and he knew he had her just by the curious look in her eyes when he brought up Casey.

"How do you know her?" She questioned but Damon didn't answer as he gave her a pointed look. Elena sighed after a few moments of silence between them. "Derek's connected to the Lockwoods so they would visit Mystic Falls every holiday they could when we were younger. I don't know why he gave me the name but he just did. Now tell me." She stated as promised which brought a devilish grin onto the vampire's face.

"Fair enough. I've known Casey since I was seven." He stated nonchalantly with Elena still tucked under his arm.

Elena's eyes widened at the implication when she turned more into Damon's side to look at him, ignoring the fact of how perfectly she fitted into his body. "You mean she's…?"

Damon rolled his eyes when she couldn't say the mythical word. "Yup and it's why I didn't want you to say my name in the arena." She nodded along in understanding, realizing that if she had, she might have ruined Damon's surprise arrival for the female vampire. "I met her a year before Stefan was born. We were practically inseparable when we were kids." He stated with a smile on his face when he looked in front of him, just in time to lock eyes with his sister who smiled right back at him.

"And?"

Damon turned his gaze down to face Elena with a confused expression. "And what?"

Elena sighed; both for the answer and for witnessing the little moment between the two vampires. "I don't know, it just seems like there is more to it." She stated with a shrug of her shoulders.

Damon chuckled as he pulled her closer to his body. "Oh there is, I just can't tell you yet."

"Why not?" Elena stated with a pout while she kept reminding herself that she was still in Damon's arms because she was cold and not because of how good it felt to be in his arms.

Before Damon could answer, Casey interrupted them. "Here we are."

Elena looked up to see a huge sign for _McDowell's Pub_ and from the looks of it, it was a very popular place which she assumed based on her crowded view through the windows.

Damon laughed when he took the old yet perfectly functioning establishment in. "I can't believe this place is still here." He stated with a smirk on his face.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Casey questioned her brother before her and Derek made their way inside.

Damon was just about to follow them inside when Elena pulled him to a stop. "Damon, I'm not old enough. They're not going to let me in." She explained once she noticed the quizzical look he had given her for stopping him in his place.

Damon chuckled. "Sure they will." He stated before he gestured for Elena to walk in before him. She sighed as the idea of Damon compelling someone because of her had crossed her mind but the thought didn't last long as she subconsciously let Damon guide her through the pub. She didn't know why but she took comfort in the fact that she could feel his hand at the small of her back.

She felt her guide them through the crowd as they made their way towards the bar where Casey and Derek were waiting for them. She couldn't help but noticed that this particular pub reminded her of the _Mystic Grill_ back home and she couldn't help but smile at the thought.

It wasn't long before Damon was guiding Elena to a booth that Casey had found in a more isolated part of the pub (the couple had moved from the bar after they caught sight of Damon and Elena's arrival). By the time she had reached the booth, Casey and Derek were already seated on one side, forcing Elena to sit with Damon on the other. She gave an internal sigh at the prospect. She didn't know why the seating arrangement would surprise her since the couple would automatically want to sit with each other.

"Is the place always this busy?" Derek questioned as he took the place in while Damon and Elena settled in. The place was jammed back and it surprised him since he thought the bars back at the university were packed but they seemed like nothing in comparison to tonight's crowd.

"We're just on the border. A lot of the tourists that check out Niagara Falls tend to hang around in Buffalo, so this place has always been packed." Damon explained with a shrug while Elena was busy taking a look at the little menu.

"Yeah, what Damon said." Casey piped in as she continued to examine Elena but it seemed like the teenager didn't notice or she was too absorbed by the menu to care. The female vampire couldn't help it though, the teenager was a dead ringer for Katherine yet she held herself completely different and she didn't need her witch abilities to know that Elena had a different aura in comparison to Katherine's. When Casey first heard about Elena's existence from Lexi, she was doubtful at first since doppelgangers were a very rare thing to come by, but then again, it usually required a few centuries to pass before another would resurface so no mortal would have seen living proof of doppelgangers ever existing.

Damon noticed his sister's analytical stares at Elena and even though he wanted her to stop, since he had sensed that Elena tensed a bit by his side, he knew that Casey wouldn't stop until she found what she was looking for. So instead of getting into an argument with her (which only happened when the topic of discussion was important enough), he shifted his attention towards Derek as they mainly talked about the hockey game.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

Their conversation didn't last long as they were interrupted by their waiter for the evening. "Welcome to _McDowell's Pub_. I'm Dylan and I'll be your server for the evening. So what can I get you guys?" The waiter automatically greeted as he was getting his order pad out from his smock's pocket.

Casey's head snapped up at the name, immediately shifting her attention to the waiter as she tried to hold in her gasp at the young man before her. _It can't be him. _She didn't hesitate to use just a bit of power to make some sort of confirmation of his identity and when she found what she was looking for, she still couldn't believe it. "Dylan?"

Damon gave Casey a confused look when he heard the awed amazement in her voice when she said the waiter's name. Elena and Derek both seemed to notice this as well and they seemed to wait with bated-breath for the waiter to make the next move.

And what happened next shocked the humans at the table because when Dylan looked up for the first time to the person who called out his name, his pupils dilated out of shock as he came face to face with a girl who looked exactly how he remembered her when he last saw her…fifteen years ago. "Casey?"

"Yeah, hi…I barely recognized you. You've changed so much!" Casey explained in awed excitement as she fully took Dylan in. He was no longer the chubby little boy that pretended he was an astronaut but he was a strapping young man with brown hair and green eyes that instantly reminded Casey of her mother, Esmeralda.

"Am I missing something here?" Damon piped in, not liking the fact that he was out of the loop when it came to his sister and this guy.

When Dylan heard the male vampire's voice, he couldn't believe that he hadn't noticed that _he_ was there too when he came face to face with Damon. "Damon Salvatore?"

Damon cocked an eyebrow up as he gave Dylan an amused expression. "What, do you know any other Damons?" He sarcastically asked as he moved to have his arm rest against the back of the booth, much to Elena's dismay.

Dylan playfully started to stroke his chin with his free hand as he started to think, causing both girls to giggle. "Well there is Damon Skeller in Atlanta and there is also his grandson Damian who I went to Las Vegas with last summer with a bunch of other relatives that had 'come of age' if you catch my drift." He rambled off with a triumphant tone for the fact that he _did_ know more people with Damon-like names. This just got a few snickers from both humans at the table while Casey tried to remain silent; not wanting to slip up and tell Damon prematurely of who exactly was _talking back _to the vampire.

Damon glared at Dylan as he tried not to focus on the fact that Dylan _knew _who Damon and Damian Skeller were as they were part of Damon's _extended _family. "You know no one likes a smartass kid."

Dylan chuckled as he lowered himself a bit as he kept his eye contact with Damon. "Aww and here I thought you made an exception for family _Uncle_ Damon?" He whispered teasingly causing the vampire's eyes to widen at the name as he did a double take on the waiter.

_There is no way he is…_

Damon's train of thought was instantly interrupted by Casey, who couldn't take having her brother in the dark anymore. "Damon, you couldn't have possibly forgotten Dylan McDowell here now could you?" She playfully questioned as she gave the young man in question a playful smile.

Damon shifted his glare between his fellow vampire and the waiter. "The Dylan McDowell _I_ know was a chubby six year old boy who wanted to go to the moon."

Dylan rolled his eyes before he held a finger out, as if he was waiting to point a few things out. "First off I was nine and that was fifteen years ago…and going to the moon would be awesome and you _know_ it." He stated proudly as he straightened himself out as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Damon couldn't help but snicker at the response because that's exactly how he remembered him. "I'll be damned, it is you…You changed a lot."

"I see you haven't." Dylan instantly rebutted back, causing the older vampire to shake his head out of amusement.

When no one else said a word, Elena couldn't take the silence between their group any longer as the smiles on the vampires' faces seemed to be getting wider as if they were in a silent conversation with their waiter.

"I'm sorry but I'm confused. How do you know each other?" Elena politely questioned, snapping Dylan and the vampires out of their trance-like state.

Casey gave Elena an apologetic look for her rudeness before she cuddled into Derek's side a bit more, his arm now securely resting on her shoulders. "Oh, how rude of us, Derek, Elena, this is Dylan McDowell. This pub has been in his family for a few generations now." She introduced with a smile as Dylan responded with a small wave.

Once the name clicked into Derek's mind, he instantly smirked and relaxed as his lingering thoughts of Dylan being competition vanished from his mind. "Nice to meet you man."

Elena could only manage a small smile since she didn't really get an answer to her original question. "Hi but how does that…"

Damon rolled his eyes as he already noticed the signs of Elena's persistence resurfacing. He leaned closer towards Elena so that his lips were just at the shell of her ear. "Let's just say, to put it simply, that Dylan is a _relative_ of Casey's." Damon explained in a whispered but it was still loud enough so only their table could hear him.

Elena's eyes widened at that pick of information as she focused on what that could mean instead of on the instant chill that went through her body when she felt Damon's sweet breath wash over her face just moments ago. "Seriously?" She couldn't help it if her response sounded like a child's when they found out that they were going to Disneyland, so she couldn't really blame Damon when he gave her an amused chuckle as he and Casey nodded their heads in the affirmative.

Dylan smirked as he looked between his ancestors. "I take it by her reaction that she _knows_?"

"She's still a little _new_ to the whole supernatural world." Damon playfully teased the fact before he got an elbow to his stomach which would have knocked the wind right out of him if he were still human.

"Don't worry Elena, you get use to it after awhile." Dylan reassured her with a charming smile.

"I hope not." She whispered under her breath but she knew the vampires heard her as she felt Damon's chest rumble a bit due to his suppressed laughter.

Dylan smirked as he looked between his two vampire ancestors. "So is there any chance I'll see you guys in the back later?"

"What's in…" Derek didn't get a chance to finish as he was immediately cut off by Damon.

"We'll see. If not, Case and I will drop by before we leave and say a few goodbyes to everyone." The eldest Salvatore replied as he watched his sister nod in agreement out of the corner of his eye.

Dylan smiled, knowing that the rest of the family members would be pleased to hear that. "Cool. I'll let them know. In the meantime, I need your orders otherwise the boss won't like what's keeping me." He quipped as he got his pen and paper ready to record their orders.

"Don't you own the place though?" Derek interjected in an amused fashion.

Dylan chuckled. "My family does but that doesn't mean _I_ get special treatment on busy nights like tonight."

"Which is every night." Damon piped in with an amused smirk plastered on his face.

"So you see my dilemma then?" Dylan joked back, earning a few chuckles around the table. "So what will it be?" He stated, snapping back into a professional façade.

It didn't take long for the group to give Dylan both their drink and meal orders before he had to scurry off and attend to another table. The group found themselves speechless as they were stuck in their thoughts, mainly Elena. Casey was still cuddled into Derek's side as his arm still rested over her shoulders as his fingers played with her hair while Damon was silently switching his attention between Elena and the couple. Damon knew that something was on Elena's mind so he figured he'd let her work it out first on her own before she got the courage to ask it herself. Casey knew that something like that was up with Elena so after receiving a few gestures from Damon, she remained silent as she relished in the simple act of being in Derek's arms while she observed the thoughtful teen.

By the time their drinks had arrived, three beers and an ice tea for Elena, the brunette was still trying to sort her thoughts out when it came to the female vampire and the waiter. She didn't understand how they could be related and even though she understood the fundamentals when it applied to _humans_, she wasn't sure if the same would apply to vampires.

Elena took a small sip of her ice tea before she nervously cleared her throat. "So Casey…is Dylan an actual blood relative to you?" She finally managed to ask before she looked up to face the vampire in question.

Casey gave Elena an encouraging smile, knowing that it might not have been easy for the girl to ask someone she just met something like that. "Yes. One of many actually." She stated proudly as she took a sip of her beer.

Elena's eyes widened at her words. _She has more descendents like Dylan? _"But how's that possible?" She questioned in a flustered manner as her mind tried to process Casey's words.

A mischievous smirk formed on Derek's lips. "Well you see Elena, when a man and a woman lo-"

"De-rek!" Casey screeched when she almost choked on her drink.

Derek and Damon laughed for different reasons; Damon for the statement itself as it caused Elena to blush just a bit and Derek laughed because he loved it when his girlfriend said his name like that. It was just like old times (before they started dating).

"Oh I am liking you more and more Venturi." Damon declared in an amused manner as he took a drink of his own beer (he'd rather have bourbon but he'd let the difference between the drinks slide for the night). Derek just smirked at the compliment before lifting his beer up in a mock toast with the vampire before consuming a swig of the cool liquid.

Casey rolled her eyes as she shook her head in mock disappointment. "You boys are just terrible."

Elena could see a renewed twinkle in Derek's brown eyes before he turned to face his girlfriend. "We know, yet _you __love __us_ anyways." He teased cockily before placing a kiss to her temple.

Casey sighed at the statement and at the touch of his lips on her skin before she locked eyes with her brother. "Sadly I do." She declared with a smile, causing Elena to feel a little unnerved as the statement seemed to not sit well with her. _She loves both of them? _Elena was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Casey's melodic voice continue on. "Sorry about him." The vampire stated as she pointed to her boyfriend.

Elena truly smiled as she wasn't offended by Derek's comments since she remembered that he would make remarks like that all the time when they were younger (granted she never truly understood them at the time but his attitude didn't seem to change when it came to his humor). "No need. He's exactly how I remember him." She stated with a devious smirk directed right at the hockey player.

"Oh how you wound me 'Lena." Derek mock-teased as he settled his beer down on the table before he placed that hand over his heart.

Casey's smile grew at the prospect of learning more about Derek, even though she practically knew everything about him like he did with her. "Oh now you must tell me." She stated gleefully as she leaned forward in her seat, her arms now crossed on the table.

Derek glared at Elena just as she was about to open her mouth. "No she must not." Derek exclaimed as he remained in a stare down with Elena, something they had done many times when they were younger when Elena wouldn't back down from him. He always found that trait very annoying growing up but every since he met Casey, he found it quite…entertaining for him.

Casey looked between the two mortals before she rolled her eyes and noticed that Damon was giving her an amused smirk before he drank his beer, motioning for Casey to do the same. After she took her swig, Casey figured now would be a good time to get back on topic; snapping both humans out of their stare down. "Anyways, it's quite possible actually. Vampires are able to have direct descendents as long as they had a child before they were turned." She explained loud enough so that only their table heard their discussion as she tried to fight off the tears that would fall if she truly let them. It always happened when she thought of her late children.

Elena nodded her head in understanding while she had a look of awe in her chocolate brown eyes. "So is it safe to assume that you had a child when you were human?"

Casey gave Elena a small sad smile. "Yes." Her voice was confident to Elena but to both Damon and Derek, they noticed the little hitch in her voice that showed how the vampire truly felt. Derek knew the topic was sensitive for his girlfriend and although he knew that it hurt her to mention it, he also knew that she was proud of the topic too; she was always proud when she mentioned her children.

Wanting his sister's distress to disappear when it came to the topic, Damon decided that he needed to bring a different perspective into the discussion. He shifted in his seat a bit so that he was once again leaning in towards Elena but this time she turned to face him just a bit. "Actually, she had three." Damon whispered proudly as memories of his niece and nephews came to his mind.

Elena's head quickly turned to Casey, with a shocked expression plastered on her face, an expression she found that she was wearing a lot that day. _She had THREE children? But…she only looks a few years older than me. _"But you were turned so young." Elena stated once she found her voice again.

Casey chuckled. "Back in our time, it was perfectly normal for the women to bear a child as early as her late teens." Casey stated while the memories of her first pregnancy came to mind as she was only at the young age of nineteen when she became a mother to her twin boys.

Elena didn't know what to say. She couldn't even fathom the thought that if she was living in the late 1800s at the moment then it wouldn't be odd if she were found pregnant at her age. _My, have the times have changed over the decades. _

Derek snickered when he realized that Casey had stunned Elena speechless. _My turn. _"Actually Elena, when Casey was your age, she was already _engaged_." He stated nonchalantly even though deep down the thought still made his stomach turn. The idea of Casey being married to another man bothered him, even the fact that she had children beforehand meant that another man had touched _his _Casey in a way that only Derek should be allowed to. Although he was glad that she was able to experience the things people took for granted before she was turned, it still bothered him at times (not as often like when he first found out but he still wasn't immune to the feeling and Casey knew that).

Casey gave Derek a comforting squeeze of his arm since she had felt him tense a bit after his statement. They had discussed this many times since she revealed to him that she was once married and she always had to convince him that even though her late husband was her first love that she'd never forget, the love she had with Derek was _eternal_…something she's been searching for ever since she was turned into a vampire.

Damon remained silent as he analyzed Derek. It wasn't Damon's style to be the silent observer, that was Casey's style, but he figured that he'd learn a lot more about his sister's boyfriend if he let him just _be_ at this point than outright questioning him. What Damon also found interesting in his observations was how easily the dynamic between Derek and Elena was established; it kind of reminded him of a few inter-family rivalries he's had the pleasure of witnessing when him and Casey would visit her descendents.

"Wait, you already know all of this?" Elena's incredulous voice snapped Damon out of his inner thoughts, bringing his attention back to Derek.

Derek arched his brow at Elena. "Why wouldn't I? I knew all this _before_ we started dating." He stated dismissively. He remembered how it took him a whole summer for Casey to go through her whole family tree with him; seven generations of Mereana Witches after her. He knew about Michael McDowell; Damon's best friend and the man she married at the age of eighteen as well as the three beautiful children they shared together; Andrew Damon, Henry Anthony and Adrianna Maria McDowell. It still amazed him till this day how many descendents Casey truly has because of those three.

Damon tilted his head to the side as he gave the hockey player a devious smirk. "Yeah, how exactly did that happen?" He knew the basics from Casey from their calls to each other but he always wondered what had gone through Derek's mind before they became an item. It's not like Derek knew from the beginning who Casey was, like she did with him, yet he somehow managed to shift their dynamics from enemies to friends and finally to lovers all on his own.

Derek scoffed as he took another swig of his beer. "Now that is a story for another time Salvatore." He quipped with a smirk on his face.

Damon's devious smirk never wavered as it only seemed to grow instead. "Well as you can plainly see Venturi, I've got all the time in the world."

Derek chuckled before he removed his arm from Casey's shoulder as he prepared himself for his meal. "Yeah well I don't and I rather eat while my food is hot." He declared, causing the rest of the group to turn their attention to Dylan, who was coming with their food and he wasn't alone.

Dylan couldn't stay long to chat after dishing out their food but he did introduce his co-worker to the group as his younger sister, Melissa, and it was very obvious that they were related as she shared the same brown hair and green eyes as her brother. She wasn't able to catch up with her ancestors and their guests though because just like her brother, she was needed elsewhere as another order was ready for pick up.

It didn't take long for the group to dig into their burgers but Damon noticed Elena's hesitation.

"What's wrong?" Damon questioned as be popped a French fry into his mouth.

"Nothing." Elena stated as she picked the pickles off her burger and placed them off to the side.

Damon quirked an eyebrow at the brunette when he saw what she did. "You don't like pickles? What's wrong with you?" He teased as he took her pickles and placed them in his burger before he took a bit. Both Casey and Derek turned towards each other with smirks on their faces for what they just witnessed before they continued to eat.

Elena's brow furrowed as she watched the vampires eat…if she didn't know any better she wouldn't think that there was something supernatural about them. "How can you even eat? If technically you're supposed to be…" She trailed off as she popped a fry of her own into her mouth.

"Dead." The three older occupants at the table whispered as each of them gave her an amused expression.

Elena blushed. "Yeah."

Damon chuckled. "It's not a bad word you know." He stated before he consumed another fry.

"As long as we keep a healthy diet of blood in our systems, our body functions pretty normally." Casey explained after taking a needed swig of her beer.

Derek shook his head in mock-disappointment. "Seriously Elena, you're just finding out about this stuff now?" He quipped just before finishing his burger off.

Elena didn't hesitate in giving Derek a glare for his statement. "I'm new to this, what did you expect?"

Casey quirked one of her eyebrows up at Derek. "And here I thought you only fought with me." Casey teased her boyfriend.

Derek smirked. "Oh no one could replace you Princess even if they tried." He declared as he slowly closed the distance between them.

"Glad to hear it." Casey whispered against Derek's lips before crashing her lips onto his for a short yet searing kiss but that wasn't the case with this couple as something as simple as kissing could become a competition of dominance between them. They both knew who was truly the dominant one but that still didn't stop them.

Damon rolled his eyes at the love-sick couple. Sure he was ecstatic for his sister since she's finally found Derek after all these years of searching but that didn't mean he _wanted_ to see them suck face…and at this rate, one of them was going to be drawing blood out of that kiss very shortly if he didn't do something. "Oh knock it off you two before I hurl." Damon stated, making sure he had his voice laced with as much irritation as possible, before he flicked a fry at the once lip-locking couple.

Elena rolled her eyes before eating another fry since she managed to finish the last of her burger while the couple were kissing. "Real mature Damon."

Damon grumbled something unrecognizable to Elena but Casey heard him loud and clear, causing the female vampire to look at her brother with concern as she began to worry that she might have overdone it in front of him when he currently couldn't be with the one he wanted.

"Damon."

Damon heard his sister's concerned voice so he gave her a reassuring smirk. "I'm fine. I just need to get use to you like…this. It's been awhile you know." He stated flippantly as he gestured between Casey and Derek.

Casey gave Damon a sad smile, knowing that he was trying to cover up the fact that he actual felt something about the situation (he was never truly open with his emotions unless it was just the two of them). "I know."

Before an awkward silence progressed among the group, Elena's cell phone started to ring in Damon's pocket. He quickly retrieved the phone from his pocket before he started to scoot out of the booth so that Elena could get out.

Elena gave him a questioning look that is until he handed the phone back to her. "It's Jenna. You better take it outside or in the bathroom if you want some quiet." He explained with a shrug as she started to get out of the booth completely.

Once she was standing she took the phone into her hands. "Thanks. Where's…"

Damon nodded his head towards a hallway just behind Elena. "Down that hall and to the left."

Elena gave him a small smile as thanks before she addressed the table in general. "Well if you'll all excuse me." She quickly took off as her phone continued to ring.

It wasn't until Elena was halfway down the hallway did she dare to answer the call. "Hi, Jenna. I'm so sorry."

"_Where are you?" Why didn't you call?_" Jenna's stern voice immediately questioned instead of a greeting.

Elena gulped as it was very rare for her aunt to be angry. "I was so tired last night. I fell asleep at Bonnie's. And then this morning, I just wanted to get to school." She frantically explained in hopes that Jenna would understand and ultimately believe her.

Jenna sighed and if Elena could see her, she would see her aunt pinching the bridge of her nose as she calmed down. "_Are you okay?_"

"You know, Stefan and stuff." Elena's voice suddenly sounded exhausted and she couldn't quite figure out why since she sounded fine moments ago. She pushed those thoughts into the back of her mind as she tried to quickly end the call with Jenna before she accidentally let something slip about her true location.

* * *

><p>He watched her until he saw her answer her phone before he slid back into the booth.<p>

While Damon popped another fry into his mouth, Derek gave Casey a questioning look. She gave him a curt nod as her answer before she hid the action by taking another sip of her beer.

"I'll be back in a moment. Bathroom break." Derek declared after clearing his throat. He quickly gave Casey a kiss on the cheek before he left the booth and headed down the same hallway Elena had gone down moments ago with the exception of turning to his right.

Damon popped another fry into his mouth before he said anything. "It seems like you're happy." He stated as he watched for her reaction.

"I really am." She stated with a genuine smile on her face, a smile he hasn't truly seen since they were human. Sure he's seen her smile over the decades but there was always this hint of sadness hidden behind it and now, he could see the same happiness that she had when she had Michael…maybe a little bit more if that were possible.

Damon smiled, not smirked, at his sister. "I'm glad." He stated as he swirled his bottle around, he could hear the liquid inside swirl along the walls, before he drank a bit more.

She continued to watch him as she ate her fries and she couldn't help the feeling that something was off…like he was withholding something from her. Her eyes widened when she realized when the last time she saw him act like this. _He wants something. _"And you're about to ruin it." Damon didn't make a move as to answering which irritated Casey. "Out with it already while it's just us." She stated with a slight hiss since she always hated when someone would prolong the inevitable.

Taking note of her mood, Damon set his drink back on the table before making a grab for his remaining fries. "I need your help."

_No Shit Sherlock! _She didn't say anything in response, figuring that he would just continue on but when he never did, she really looked at him in that moment and it was as if they were having a silent argument that they've had many times before.

Casey groaned when it finally dawned on her what he needed from her. "If it's about Katherine and that tomb again Damon, I already helped you enough. I can't do anymore, I'm sorry."

"Can't or won't Casey?" Damon instantly challenged with an icy glare and he wasn't surprised when he got an identical glare right back at him.

"_Can't_. And even after I told you _many_ times how much I _despise_ Katherine for what she did to you, I still gave you what I could to help you out." She hissed under her breathe so quietly that only the vampires in the room could hear her and luckily for them, it was just the two of them that night. When she saw that Damon's mannerism never wavered, she sighed as she leaned back against her seat. "Three steps Damon, that's all it takes to open the tomb. It's that simple."

"Yeah, like I said before, easier said than done." Damon growled just as lowly which earned him a pointed look from the female. It was never like this between the siblings, the only time they truly were at each other's throats was whenever Katherine was mentioned. They've had many arguments where Casey would try to get Damon to realize that Katherine wasn't worth it but he never listened and even though she despised that vampire ice queen with a burning passion, if being with Katherine made Damon happy then she'd rather support her brother than lose him completely.

When Damon seemed to have calmed down enough, Casey continued on. "Well you had to wait for the Comet, which was step one. You needed to retrieve Emily's Crystal, which was step two…"

"Yeah, there is a little problem with step two. I don't have the crystal." Damon interjected.

Casey groaned. "Then performing step three will be a lot harder without it." She explained as she finished off her fries.

Damon felt his nose scrunch up as he tried to think of another way. _There has to be another way. _"Can't you just create a new crystal and spell to override the one Emily had on the tomb?"

Casey sadly shook her head from side to side. "Witchcraft doesn't work like that Damon and you know it. It's exactly why only a _Bennett_ witch could perform the reversal spell on the tomb, otherwise _I_ would have done it myself." She declared before she made a grab for her beer because she definitely felt like she needed a drink now.

Damon sighed. "I know."

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN #4: **So what did you think? Sorry if it's all over the place but I couldn't decide which character I wanted to write as a template perspective as I wanted everyone to know a bit about what everyone else was thinking. Did anyone catch the bit about Lexi? That will be explained later on while Damon's still in Buffalo. What are your thoughts with the pairings' dynamics in this chapter (Damon/Casey, Casey/Derek, Derek/Elena and Damon/Elena)?

**A/N #5: **Just a reminder, anything that happened in Mystic Falls in the _'Bloodlines'_ episode is still happening; Bonnie is still trying to get 'unblocked' with Stefan's help, Alaric is still having flashbacks of Isobel and Jeremy is learning more about vampires for his paper with Anna. It just won't be _rewritten_ in the story at this point.

**A/N #6: **I just wanted to make it clear that **there is nothing romantic between Elena and Derek**. They will get closer as the story progresses because Derek is the only one Elena could turn to if she has questions pertaining to vampire/human relationships since he's had 3-5 years experience (3 for dating, 5 for knowing Casey). Also the history between the Salvatore siblings will be revealed as the story progresses as well as this 'quest' I've alluded to a few times (I hope it was noticeable for you readers even though I didn't use the word 'quest' once in the chapter).

**A/N #7:** Once again, **thank you for reading this story!** It truly means the world to me to have your support so PLEASE leave me a review before you go! **  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Mentioned Descendents <strong>_(check out my LJ master list for this story for the links to the Salvatore/Mereana Family Tree photos)_**: **

**1) _Andrew Damon and Henry Anthony McDowell (twins - Fell's Church, Virginia) _**- sons of Casey and Michael McDowell (also Damon's nephews)

**2) ****_Adrianna Maria McDowell (daughter - Fell's Church, Virginia) _**- daughter of Casey and Michael McDowell (also Damon's niece)**  
><strong>

**3) **_**Dylan and Melissa McDowell (siblings – Buffalo, New York) **_– descendents from Andrew Damon McDowell (Casey's first son)

**4) **_**Damon and Damien Skeller (grandfather/grandson – Atlanta, Georgia) **_– descendents from Andrew Damon McDowell (Casey's first son)

* * *

><p><strong>Originally Published: <strong>August 22, 2011**  
><strong>


	3. Ch 3: Catching Up With Friends

"**A Journey To Find A Lost Soul"**

**Chapter 3: Catching Up With Friends  
><strong>

**A/N #1: **HEY EVERYONE! Sorry for the delay but I figured if there was any time to update, it's to celebrate the return of new _Vampire Diaries_' episodes! The Season 3 premiere was awesome yesterday! If you haven't seen it, I suggest you do...somehow!

**A/N #2: **Thank you so much to all those that read, reviewed and added this story to their alerts and/or favorites. It truly means the world to me! Thank you so much for the support! Without further delay, he's chapter 3!

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Vampire Diaries or Life With Derek. They belong to their respective owners (I thank them for creating them in the first place). Recognizable dialogue comes from VD episode _'Bloodlines'._

* * *

><p><strong>Full<strong> **Summary**: Instead of visiting a dear friend alone, Damon takes along Elena just when a rogue vampire flips her car over [1x11]. As time goes on, Damon learns that it might not be Katherine that he needs in order to gain what he's missed most in the world. Will Damon finally get the ending he's been waiting for since he turned or are there just too many obstacles for him to handle? [Crossover yet VD-centric]

**Remember: **For _Vampire Diaries_, this is right after the episode where Elena sleeps with Stefan for the first time just before finding out that she's an exact physical replica to Katherine Pierce.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Vampire Diaries <strong>_**Timeline: **starts off at the beginning of Episode #1.11 – 'Bloodlines' (with focus only on Damon and Elena)

_**Life With Derek **_**Timeline****: **AU (due to specific changes) but it takes place when Casey and Derek (21 – 4th Year) are at Queen's University

* * *

><p><strong>LAST TIME:<strong>

When Damon seemed to have calmed down enough, Casey continued on. "Well you had to wait for the Comet, which was step one. You needed to retrieve Emily's Crystal, which was step two…"

"Yeah, there is a little problem with step two. I don't have the crystal." Damon interjected.

Casey groaned. "Then performing step three will be a lot harder without it." She explained as she finished off her fries.

Damon felt his nose scrunch up as he thought of another way. _There has to be another way. _"Can't you just create a new crystal and spell to override the one Emily had on the tomb?"

Casey sadly shook her head from side to side. "Witchcraft doesn't work like that Damon and you know it. It's exactly why only a _Bennett_ witch could perform the reversal spell on the tomb, otherwise I would have done it myself." She declared before she made a grab for her beer because she definitely felt like she needed a drink now.

Damon sighed. "I know."

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p>Elena managed to keep her phone call short with Jenna, allowing herself to freshen up a bit before she headed back to the table. She wasn't in any hurry to return because she still felt a little overwhelmed. She was surprised that she wasn't hyperventilating at this point.<p>

It wasn't until she approached the entrance to the hallway did her mind head somewhere else. "Derek?"

Derek turned around at the sound of his name. "Took you long enough 'Lena." He quipped with a smirk on his face as he leaned against the wall.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Didn't think you'd wait for me."

Derek scoffed. "I wasn't."

Elena's brow furrowed out of confusion. "Then why aren't you at the booth?"

Derek made a gesture for Elena to check out the scene behind him and what she saw was the two vampires in an intense conversation. "Casey wanted to talk to Damon alone. I figured I'd give them the privacy." He nonchalantly explained as she watched the vampires from afar.

"To talk about what?" She questioned while she tried to get a read on the conversation but Damon wasn't really giving her much to go on when it came to his mannerisms. To everyone else, it looked like two people were just hitting it off in a pub as their complete concentration was on one another. "Do you even know?" She questioned a few moments later when she realized that Derek wasn't going to answer her.

"I'll know eventually." He declared smugly before he completely turned around to check out the pub; mainly the area that held the pool tables. "You wanna play a game of pool with me while the immortals catch up?" He whispered his suggestion to her as he pointed the free table out to her.

Elena only managed a slight sigh and a nod before Derek quickly whisked her to the pool table before anyone else could claim it. She couldn't help but shake her head out of amusement as she watched Derek practical dance around the table as he gathered what he needed; passing her a cue when he crossed her path.

Elena knew that this was the same boy from her childhood summers (there was no doubt about it) yet she still couldn't believe how _together_ he was about the whole supernatural thing. With the way he is with his vampire girlfriend or the way he could easily comment on things that shouldn't exist (like casually creating nicknames for what they are) or even the way he just accepts things so calmly really bugged the brunette. She remembered how freaked she was when she learned the truth about Stefan and how at times she still wasn't _okay_ with the fact that she was dating a vampire. _How can Derek do it?_

"You seem awfully calm about what they are…what they can do." Elena slowly commented as Derek passed her again.

Derek chuckled as he removed the triangle frame from the table. "Give it time." He stated before he gestured for her to take the break shot. She declined so he didn't hesitant to take his position.

"So how long have you known?" She shyly questioned just before he took the first shot. She wasn't sure if she was overstepping or anything…it wasn't like they've kept in contact with each other outside of Mystic Falls.

"About Casey's secret?" Derek questioned just before he took the shot; sinking two balls into different pockets. He straightened himself up just in time to see Elena nod a bit. He moved to his next position before he said his answer. "About a year after she moved in, just after I turned sixteen actually."

"Moved in?"

Derek smirked when he read the confusion in her voice. "Yeah. My dad got remarried when I was fifteen and at the time, I thought she was just my new annoying stepsister." He explained before taking his next shot and sinking another ball in. Before he moved to his next position, he turned to Elena so that he was shoulder to shoulder with her. "Turns out she's actually the ancestor of my stepfamily." He whispered smugly before he moved around her to get to his desired spot.

Elena's eyes widened…she wasn't expecting that to be how they met. _So the divorce could be the reason why he hadn't been to Mystic Falls in a long time._ She thought before the second part of his answer returned to the forefront of her mind. "Wait, you first met Casey as your stepsister?"

Derek let lose an amused laugh. "Yup and if you were to go back to my hometown now, everyone there knows Casey McDonald and Derek Venturi as the hateful stepsiblings that wounded up falling for each other." He declared before taking another successful shot which resulted in him removing two more balls from the table.

Elena blinked a couple of times as she tried to process his words; words he said so casually let she saw traces of a smile that he was trying to hide from her. It baffled her. Not only was the little lady's man all grown up but he got himself a stepsister who he first hated only to end up falling in love with her even though he knew that she's a vampire. _And I thought my situation was complicated. _She mused to herself before she managed to find her voice again. "Wow…how did that happen if you hated each other?"

Derek chuckled as he chalked up his cue. "We didn't actually _hate_ each other per say, we just fought for dominance a lot of the time but I guess it all changed after I found out who she really was." He explained before taking his next shot which unfortunately didn't result in him getting another turn.

"Meaning?" She prodded a bit before she took her position for her first shot.

Derek scratched the back of his neck before he moved so that he was standing just beside Elena, not wanting strangers to overhear what he had to say. "It was kind of like finding out _who_ she really was meant a clean slate for the both of us…I instantly found myself fascinated with the idea and all the scenarios she could have lived out and learning the truth brought us closer together. I asked questions and she'd answer them as honestly as she could. And before I knew it, I was getting to know the real her." He elaborated a little hesitantly at first.

Elena executed her first shot. "Didn't it all freak you out though?" She questioned as she watch her first ball enter the far corner pocket. When she turned to look at him, not knowing why he hadn't answered yet, she was greeted with a quizzical yet amused look. "Learning all that stuff I mean." She quickly elaborated before she moved to his other side for her next shot.

Derek shrugged his shoulders as he leaned against the pool table, making sure that he wasn't in Elena's way. "At times yeah but I was more overwhelmed than freaked out. The stuff that she's been through 'Lena, it's astounding." He stated as he remembered all the stories Casey's told him and all the adventures she's experienced through her vampire life while Elena performed another perfect shot, earning herself two more points.

There was silence between the duo as Elena set herself up for her third shot but it didn't do her any good since she just missed the ball she was aiming for.

"So when did you actually start dating her?" Elena questioned just after Derek performed his returning shot, earning himself another point.

Derek turned to give the brunette an amused smirk. "This sounds a lot like 20 questions."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Humor me please."

Derek scoffed before he threw his next shot without Elena knowing. He figured he'd _humor_ her when it came to the game too since he already had a huge lead. "Fine, we started dating just before my senior prom and we've been together ever since."

Elena smiled at the news as she took her position. "You guys seem happy together. It's refreshing."

Derek smiled as he looked over towards Casey. "Yeah, well it's a never a dull moment with her. That's for sure." He stated just when Casey turned in his direction with a secret smile on her face before Damon caught her attention again. Derek smirked at the idea before he turned back to face Elena just as she sunk two more balls into separate pockets. "So tell me, what's new with you 'Lena?"

Elena laughed at his attempt to be nonchalant with the subject as she contemplated what to say…it was the least she could do since she practically questioned him to death about his love life.

"Where do I begin?"

* * *

><p>"So that's how you guys met." Damon teased his sister as he popped another fry into his mouth. He's been keeping his ears on Elena since she returned from the bathroom and he just couldn't resist listening in to hers and Derek's conversation when she started asking about Derek and Casey's relationship. Of course Damon already knew <em>how<em> the two lovers met but it was interesting to hear it from Derek's perspective because he didn't _know_ from the start what he was walking into…like Casey had.

Casey tutted her brother as she stole one of his fries. "It's not nice to eavesdrop, Damon."

"But it's pretty damn handy." Damon argued back playfully with a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Besides you're eavesdropping now since its Elena's turn to talk." He pointed out when he noticed that only half of her attention was on him.

"Looks like I'm not the only one then." She declared without refuting his accusation. She knew that eavesdropping wasn't polite but when it came to Elena, she needed to _know_ for certain that the only thing she shared with Katherine was their physical resemblance and nothing more. Her brother didn't need another Katherine in his life.

Damon smirked. "You got to admit, it's one of the perks to being what we are."

Casey giggled. "Same ol' Damon." She whispered as the affection in her tone was obvious, which brought a genuine smile to Damon's face.

"Would you want me any other way?" He teased but her smile was enough…she wouldn't want to change him and the same could be said about her to him.

The two vampires sat in silent as they listened to Elena tell Derek about her parent's death and beyond. They were now onto the part where Elena met Stefan but Derek made sure to ask questions about a few of the other kids he hung out with during those summers he visited her hometown. He even asked how Jenna was just to spite Elena as they finished their first game.

Damon smirked as he watched Elena perform the break shot of their second game before an idea popped into his head. "So when are you going to tell me what you saw when you touched Elena earlier?" He casually questioned as he ate another fry. He figured that now was as good a time as any to ask her.

Casey didn't know what to say because she was still trying to make sense of it. One of the many perks of being a vampire was the ability to multitask when it came to brain function. So while she was having a conversation with Damon and listening in to Elena's recent history, she was also trying to figure out the vision she got when she shook Elena's hand. She didn't know how far into the future it was but she didn't like what she saw either, whether she liked Elena or not.

Her slight glimpse was set at the dead of night with two dead women, another girl by a fire alter and then a man sucking Elena dry until she dropped dead.

She couldn't tell Damon this…not until she learned more about it so she went with a different answer. "When were you going to tell me what happened between you and Lexi?"

Damon's eyes dilated just a bit out of shock before he quickly recomposed himself. "What about me and Lexi?"

Casey smirked before she leaned a bit forward in her seat, as if she were about to tell him a secret. "How'd you think I got confirmation about Elena?"

Damon couldn't hide his shock at this point. "Lexi told you?"

Casey leaned back in her seat as she gave her brother an affirmative nod.

Damon groaned. "I guess that means she told you a few other things too then."

"You're damn right she did. What were you thinking?" She demanded calmly yet Damon knew that she was furious.

"I was thinking that I needed to take suspicions off of me and Stefan before the Council did anything about it." He defended himself at a decibel level that only a vampire could hear at.

"So naturally you'd put the blame on Lexi and stake her when she came for a visit." Casey stated furiously even though she was freaking out on the inside when Damon mentioned that the Council was back. She remembered Giuseppe being a part of the original Founder's Council back in 1864 and how they attempted to destroy the vampires.

"Hey I brought her right back…thanks to you I might add." Damon immediately reminded his sister, hoping that the little fact would lessen her anger. He knew by experience that Casey's temper could easily rival his own.

She immediately glared at him, which Damon was kind of expecting. "Oh I know because when she called, I had to fully explain it to her while keeping _my_ secret." She sneered as she remembered a frantic Lexi calling her at 2am, demanding for some answers.

"She needed another explanation? The logistics is not that hard to _comprehend_." Damon quipped as he tried to lighten the mood between them. He'd only been vague when he explained what happened to Lexi but it was still fun to poke fun at the older vampire.

Casey sighed as she gave her brother a pointed look. "Damon that's not the point."

Damon groaned as he leaned forward in his seat. "Look Case, I get it. I _shouldn't_ have used it but what was I supposed to do? Stefan may think I'm a cold-blooded killer but you and I both know that I could _never_ stake Lexi…not after everything she's done for us when it came to Stefan." He sincerely explained to her as he remembered how Lexi got through to Stefan just after his transformation. While Damon couldn't be there for Stefan, Lexi was and both of the older Salvatores were grateful for that. Damon knew that his words were successful when he noticed that Casey's eyes had softened. He never would have admitted that to anyone but Casey wasn't just anyone. She understood him completely and vice versa…they didn't need their supernatural advantages to get to that point between them. They were already like that when they were both human.

A small smile appeared on Casey's face as she remembered the first time that she met the blonde vampire just outside of Mystic Falls. It was because of Casey that Lexi even continued on to the town where she met Stefan. "Not to mention that she's my friend too." She mumbled timidly. She couldn't blame Damon for what he ultimately did to Lexi…especially not after openly declaring his reasons to her. She already knew that saying that out loud was a step for Damon.

Damon smirked. "That too." He stated as he finished off his fries as he remembered the last time he saw Lexi before she left Mystic Falls.

**_Damon had managed to convince Sheriff Forbes to let him dispose of the body after he had staked her. Sheriff Forbes didn't seem to hesitate since she wanted to get home to a drunken Caroline but she managed to thank Damon before she departed. _**

**_The vampire took his time as he drove to the outskirts of town. He parked down a deserted road that was easily concealed by the forest to the human eye. _**

**_He opened the trunk of his Camaro before he gently lifted Lexi up and placed her down on a gentle surface. He brushed a blonde hair off her face before he moved down to the stake protruding out of her heart. He smirked when his finger grazed over the embedded symbol in the stake, the one thing that was keeping Lexi alive. _**

**_The embedded symbol on the stake was placed there by Casey herself after she cast a spell on the piece of sharpened wood many decades ago. The symbol was her Mereana family mark that could only be seen by a Mereana witch and to anyone else that they allowed to see it when it was first cast. To anyone else, the mark simply didn't exist…Damon was one of those exceptions. _**

**_He slowly pulled the stake out of Lexi's heart, twirling it in his hands a few times before he wrapped it up and tucked it away into his jacket. _**

**"**_**The things I do for family." **_**_Damon mumbled to himself before he bit into his wrist and let a few drops of his blood fall into Lexi's mouth._**

**_Now this stake was no ordinary stake as its effects on vampires are only temporary. If this spelled stake is plunged into the heart of a vampire, that vampire will die, just like it would have if staked by any other wooden object. But the difference was, if the spelled stake was pulled out of the vampire, color would return to their skin yet they won't wake up until they are fed a few drops of blood from a Salvatore. Originally the spell had it to be Merena blood but since Casey had planned to give the stake to Damon, he needed to be the one that could resurrect those that he staked...so she altered the spell. If no blood is ingested then the vampire will begin to mummify as it waits to ingest the require blood. _**

**_He slowly lowered his wrist down to her mouth and it wasn't long before he felt her sucking his blood from him. He waited a few moments before he yanked his wrist away from her, causing her eyes to snap open instantly. _**

**_As Damon's wrist healed, he grabbed the hidden blood bag from his trunk before he threw it at Lexi. _**

**_She looked at him quizzical before she snatched the bag up from the ground. _**_**"What happened?" She questioned before she frantically fed on the blood bag.  
><strong>_

**"_You died." __He deadpanned and when he noticed her eyes widening, he smirked. __"And I just brought you back."_**

**_The blood bag was empty in a flash before she blurred to Damon, pinning him to his car. __"You staked me." __She growled as her last moments alive came back to her. _**

**_Damon smirked, not at all intimidated by the older vampire. __"Yet here you are." _**

**_Lexi narrowed her eyes at him, as if she could try to decipher them…which was a lost cause so she had to ask it instead. __"Why'd you do it?"_**

"_**It's all part of my plan."**_

**_Lexi scoffed as she shoved Damon into his car before letting go of him completely. __"Was bringing me back part of your plan or were you just feeling guilty for killing your brother's best friend?"_**

**_Damon rolled his eyes as he dusted imaginary dust off himself. __"_Part of the plan_. If I had used any other stake Lex, you'd be __permanently__ dead right now. Does that sound like a cheap ass plan to you?"__ He questioned a little furiously…he always hated how people assumed that he was too impulsive to a point that he never had a plan. He _always_ had a plan of some kind. _**

**_She turned her back to him, not wanting to see the fury in his eyes. She knew that she had hurt him with her assumption on some level. They might not have gotten along at times but over the decades, she was privileged enough to see a different side to Damon Salvatore, a side she had a feeling was responsible for saving her but she was never supposed to mention it. __"Why bring me back?" __She whispered, taking a risk by just asking him that as she looked into the forest. _**

**_Damon crossed his arms as he leaned against his car. __"Why do you think?" __That's all he had to say because he knew that Lexi would get the message because he wasn't going to spell it out for her. _**

**_And she did get it…the smile on her face was proof enough. She knew that no matter what terms they were on, good or bad, she knew that he'd do nothing to harm her…because of Casey. If it weren't for that special lady, Lexi wouldn't hold the same promise to the vampire behind her because she too wouldn't harm Damon because of Casey. _**

"_**Thanks."**_

**_Damon rolled his eyes. He hated being a part of these types of moments. __"Don't thank me yet. I need you to do something for me."_**

**_Lexi immediately turned around as she gave Damon an incredulous look. __"You killed me and yet you want me to do you a favor?" _**

**_He didn't say anything as he let the smirk on his face speak for him. _**

**_Lexi sighed. __"Fine what is it?"_**

"_**You can't come back here…"**_

**_The older vampire scoffed. __"Obviously."_**

"_**And you can't call Stefan."**_

"_**What?" **_**_She protested angrily. _**

**_Damon's mannerism didn't waver, he was expecting this reaction. __"You can't tell him you're alive Lex…not yet anyways." __He rationalized calmly as she angrily stalked towards him. _**

**"_Why not?" __She sneered as she grabbed his throat but he immediately blurred to have her pressed up against the Camaro as if he were to arrest her. The sight amused Damon._**

**_He leaned forward just a bit so that his mouth was just at the shell of her ear. __"Because he's going to ask questions and I can't answer them."_**

**_She turned towards him slightly, making sure that they didn't get any closer than they already were. __"He's going to hate you even more." __She pointed out as she watched for his reaction._**

**_Damon smirked. __"When has that ever stopped me?" __He quipped before he released his hold on her. _**

Damon scoffed as he thought back to how Lexi asked him all these questions afterwards pertaining to how he managed to keep her alive. He didn't give her much but he did give enough to satisfy her thirst for knowledge on the subject.

"She told me that she will follow through with that favor with you." Casey stated, breaking Damon out of his reverie.

Damon shook his head before he spoke. "That's good." He stated before he noticed Derek approaching them and Elena heading outside. He mentally cursed himself for being dragged into that memory when he was supposed to be listening in on Elena's talk with Derek.

Casey didn't have to hear the end of their conversation to know that Derek was approaching. She could always tell when Derek was near without using any of her supernatural advantages. "Hey Der, where's Elena?" Casey questioned just before he kissed her on the cheek and took his seat again.

"She got another call and she didn't seem pleased when she saw the ID." He answered with a shrug.

Damon rolled his eyes. "It's probably St. Stefan again."

Derek wanted to make a comment about Damon's attitude towards Stefan but he held his tongue, not wanting to get on either vampire's bad side. Elena had given him a run down version of her life since her parents died while they managed to play three games of pool (ultimately he won) and he really didn't know how to response to it. He remembered Grayson and Miranda Gilbert to be very respectable and highly liked people in Mystic Falls. He especially remembered that Miranda Gilbert baked the best chocolate chip cookies he'd ever tasted as a preteen.

Damon looked between the two lovers before he decided it was time to check on Elena. "I should probably check to make sure she hasn't gotten herself into any trouble." He declared out of annoyance but that didn't stop Casey from giving him a knowing smile. The reason for it, he wasn't sure but he was determined to have it removed. "Case, why don't you introduce Derek to some of the relatives in the back." He suggested as he stood from the booth.

Casey recognized Damon's deflection but that wasn't going to stop her from having a fantastic mood. "Excellent idea Damon. Bring Elena when you're done."

"She won't pass through the barrier." He pointed out instantly as he made sure that he had everything he came with.

Casey smiled at her brother as a plan formed in her mind. "Don't worry I'll handle that."

Damon rolled his eyes. "If you say so. See you both in a few!" He called out to them as he headed for the pub's exit with Elena well within his sights.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

"So how many relatives are we talking about here?" Derek questioned as they made their way towards the back a few minutes after Damon left.

"Let's go find out!" She excitedly stated as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Derek wasn't hesitant to throw one of his arms around her shoulder as he gave her a quizzical look.

"Don't you already know though…with the whole sensing thing that you do?"

Casey smiled up at Derek as she led him down a final hallway that ended with a keycard locked door with an _Employee's Only_ sign on the door. Derek was surprised that instead of using a keycard, she used a strand of her hair as she scanned it through, opening the door. She's had to modify the entrance keys as the times changed (to keep up appearances) but a DNA sample is _always_ needed.

When Casey turned to give Derek a triumphant smile, she noticed his confused yet astounded expression. "It's magically protected." She stated as she walked through the threshold.

"You're handy work I presume?" Derek stated before he followed her inside.

"You'd be correct." She stated as they descended down a spiral staircase.

"So was that the barrier that Damon was talking about earlier?" Derek questioned just as his feet hit the floor.

Casey nodded before she explained that the first door only requires one DNA scan but the second door into the actual back room requires all who wanted entrance to scan in with a few drops of blood.

"So what exactly does he want you to do with it?"

"He wants me to alter it but I'm_ not_ going to."

Derek gave his girlfriend a confused look. "Why not?"

"I have a theory that I want to test."

"Involving Elena?"

Casey smiled at Derek, very pleased that he was on the same page as her on the subject without having to talk about it. "Yup."

"Well…would I be able to go through the barrier?" Derek questioned once he noticed the second door just a few feet away from him. Unlike the keycard from the first door, this door had a stainless steel fountain at the entrance but with no tap. _Kinda like a defective water fountain. _Derek mused as he watched Casey approach it.

"Yup…all Mereana family members and their significant others, whether it's legalized or destined, are allowed to go through the barrier." She explained as she felt her fangs elongate just enough so that she could nick her finger and bleed a bit into the fountain.

Derek watched as her blood dripped into the small water collection in the fountain. The blood spiraled in the clear liquid before a projection appeared with a welcome greeting to _Cassandra Salvatore_.

She would have been allowed immediate entrance if the entrance hadn't detected another presence with her.

"But Damon's not a Mereana." Derek stated as he watched the little water fountain refill itself with new water.

"When I originally created the protective spell, I included Damon into it. It would have been simpler to use the Salvatore side of me but that meant giving Stefan access too and I couldn't have that." She explained as she let her fangs elongate again so that Derek could prick his finger.

"Why not?" He questioned as he nicked his finger, hissing a bit, before he bleed a few drops into the fountain.

"It's a _safe haven_ for a reason Derek." Casey stated as they waited for the blood to swirl like hers did before. She was tempted to take Derek's finger and lick the remaining blood off of it as they waited but she had enough control to know that now wasn't the time for that.

Derek was astounded when a few seconds later his own projection appeared with a welcome greeting addressed to _Derek Michael Venturi_.

"I see and this theory of yours…" He trailed off as Casey took his hand while they waited for the heavy door to slowly open.

"I want to see who Elena is truly meant for."

Derek moved his focus back to his girlfriend, just in time to see the pensive look on her beautiful face.

"You've been doubting your vision again haven't you?" He stated, referring to the soulmate vision she first saw back in 1864 a little while after Damon's transformation. The same vision that gave Damon hope that he'd be reunited with Katherine one day.

Casey sighed as she turned to look up at him. "You can't really blame me. The fact that Elena _exists_ means that there is a chance that _she's_ the girl that I had seen Damon with in my vision." She explained hopefully. Ever since she found out from Lexi that Elena Gilbert existed, every fiber in her being wanted that doppelganger to be the one that she saw in the vision with Damon.

"Or it's Katherine, the girl he's actually in love with." Derek pointed out even though he wasn't a fan of Katherine's…not after all the stories he's heard.

Casey's hopeful expression turned into one of extreme determination. "It _can't_ be Katherine."

Derek couldn't say more as he was pulled over the back room's threshold before coming face to face with a lot of Casey's descendents.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile: <strong>

Elena was having a great time with Derek. He was a great listener and he made severely comments that should bug people throughout their games but it didn't bug her because she knew that he was doing it to get her mind out of the darkness. Talking about her life in the past few months definitely brought a dark cloud over her head but she felt this _need_ to tell him and she was grateful that she could truly tell him _everything_. No secrets, no lies and she was truly grateful for that.

Now if only she could keep that happy feeling because the moment she read her caller ID, she could feel the happiness just leave her body. She wasn't supposed to feel like that when her boyfriend calls but then again, she wasn't supposed to just find out months into the relationship that she was a dead ringer for said boyfriend's ex-vampire girlfriend.

Elena had to excuse herself from Derek as she headed outside to accept Stefan's call.

"_Elena, is that you?_"

Elena sighed when she heard the genuine concern in his voice. "I'm here."

"_Where__ are__ you?_"

"You lied." She quickly stated…just because he was concern for her _doesn't_ mean she was going to let him off the hook.

"_Not until I explain, please._" He pleaded.

"So, you didn't lie?" She baited as she started pacing just along the sidewalk outside of the pub.

Stefan groaned. "_Just tell me where you are so that I can come get you._"

"How am I connected to Katherine, Stefan?" She questioned more forcefully.

Stefan sighed. "_I honestly don't know._"

Elena scoffed as she stopped in her pacing. "And I'm supposed to believe that?"

"_It's the truth. I- Listen-_" She ended the call before he could say anything else to her. She was truly pissed up and finding herself suddenly exhausted after the phone call.

"You okay?"

Elena gasped when she heard Damon's voice and sure enough, he was standing right by the door when she turned around.

"Don't pretend to care. I know you're gloating inside." She firmly stated and Damon could tell that she was not pleased with him or with the phone conversation. He didn't need his vampire hearing to know that the _lovely couple_ were still fighting.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Think what you want but you shouldn't be out here by yourself." He stated before he opened the pub's front door for her. She hesitated a bit but when she realized that Damon wasn't going to leave her alone, she relented.

Elena instantly made her way towards their booth before she felt Damon's hand wrap around her arm. "C'mon." She heard him whisper to her before he pulled her to the bar.

Elena gave the vampire an annoyed glare but she couldn't help but feel confused. "Table's that way." She stated as she pointed to their original booth.

Damon took a seat at the bar before he waved Melissa McDowell back over. "Not anymore, the couple moved to the back."

On reflex, Elena turned around just in time to see one of the waiters cleaning off their booth. While doing so, Damon ordered two beers for them and since it was Melissa that was serving them, she let it slide that Elena was underage.

"Are they expecting us to join them?" Elena asked as she turned around and took the seat right next to Damon.

Damon shrugged. "Eventually but I rather join them when your head isn't clouded. So spill…what's on your mind?" He stated just as Melissa showed up with their beers. He didn't hesitate to drink from his beer while Elena barely made a move for hers.

She wasn't planning on spilling her thoughts to him but the way his deep blue eyes bore into hers made her think a whole different set of thoughts. "Katherine."

Damon smirked when Elena caved sooner than he thought. "I figured as much. What about her?" He questioned as he took a few more gulps of his beer.

"If I'm a descendent of Katherine's, that means she had a child before she was turned, right?"

"Yup. Casey explained that to you earlier. Vampire's can't procreate…but we love to try." He stated with a suggestive smile and he was instantly pleased when he heard her heart beat speed up just a bit.

Elena huffed. "I get it."

He waited for her to continue but she never did, she only played with the label on her beer bottle.

Damon rolled his eyes. "What else?" He prodded after a few moments of silence between them.

His voice brought Elena out of her thoughts. It truly baffled her at times how well Damon could read her after only knowing each other for such a short amount of time. "Are you always this perceptive?" She quipped, hoping to divert his line of questioning from her again.

Damon shrugged as he took another swig. "I've been around, now quit stalling and ask me already." He had to admire her diversion attempts even though they were no match against him.

"Did Stefan think that he could use me to replace _her_?" She questioned as the mere thought sickened her to her very core.

"Kinda creepy if you ask me." He teased as he found himself wanting to cheer her up in that moment.

Elena gave him an annoyed glare. "Damon."

Damon couldn't help but laugh. "Don't look at me like that, you _did_ ask me after all." He pointed out before he finished off his beer. It wasn't long before Melissa came to collect it and when she did, Damon whispered something to her before he turned to Elena. "C'mon, let's go."

Elena sighed as she stood from her stool. "Where to now?"

Damon smirked as he stood and grabbed Elena's untouched beer. "The party is just starting in the back…I can just feel it so let's go." He stated before he was ushering her towards the back of the pub.

Elena didn't even question Damon's actions at this point as he led her down the same hallway that Casey and Derek had traveled down earlier.

She was tempted to ask questions when Damon used a strand of his hair to get passed the first door. He only said _supernatural lock_ to her before they continued their journey to the back room.

When they got closer to the second door, Damon would explain to her about the back room being a magical safe haven for Casey's family and close friends. At one point, Elena asked how they could have something like that; Damon would only answer by saying that they had witches on their side. She didn't believe him, with good reason, but he wouldn't elaborate on the matter either. All he said was that if she truly wanted to know, all she had to do was ask Casey herself.

Elena was about to ask something else when they approached the second and final door with the replica water fountain beside it. She didn't know what to expect but she was shocked when Damon's vampire face suddenly appeared before he bit into his wrist and let himself bleed into the fountain. She watched out of fascination as the blood trail swirled in the water before a projection appeared above it with a welcome greeting addressed to _Damon Salvatore_.

"Your turn."

Elena snapped out of her awed thoughts when she heard his voice. "What?"

Damon smirked before he gestured to the steel replica. "The fountain needs your blood to identify and let you in."

"Oh."

"So how do you want to do it?" He asked again when it didn't seem like Elena was processing what she needed to do when in reality she was aware…she was just worried about the vampire's reaction.

"Um…but won't my blood bother you?" She questioned as thoughts of Stefan's struggle whenever she bled near him came to her mind. _Would Damon react the same way?_

The vampire gave an amused chuckle. "Believe it or not Elena I have great control over my bloodlust...unlike someone I know." He proudly declared before he whispered the last part as a jibe at Stefan's lack of control around human blood.

Elena didn't hear the jibe so she continued with her questioning. "So if your fang cut me somewhere, you won't feel the need to drink?"

Damon smirked as he closed the distance between them. "I'll be _tempted_ to but I won't drink."

Elena sighed as she raised her hand to his mouth. "Do it."

Before her very eyes she watched as the purple veins slowly appeared around his cerulean eyes as the actual eye itself filled with blood. She watched as his fangs elongate before he moved her hand to his mouth. She felt the slight prick in the palm of her hand before she felt a ticklish yet sting-ish feeling as he dragged his fang along her palm to create a shallow gash. She felt no blood being pulled unnaturally from her body and that fact alone caused her to become impressed with the vampire. _He really can control it. _

The moment he released her hand she quickly moved it to hover over the fountain, making sure a single drop wasn't wasted.

Damon had to fight off the urge to groan when he saw her blood dripping from her hand. He could still taste the few drops of Elena's blood that had managed to drip into his mouth when he created the gash moments ago. He was tempted to have a true taste of her but he wasn't going to risk it...not when she seemed to be tolerating him for the sake of the trip. He was going to ruin their fun together by drinking from her...not unless she wanted him to.

"Give me your hand again." Damon whispered a few moments later when he thought that she'd given enough blood to the fountain. She was too busy watching her blood swirl in the water to notice that Damon had shifted in his spot with Elena's hand in his.

Before she could even register what was happening, she felt a wet sensation wash over the spot that her wound was, causing her to yank her hand away from the vampire, risking the chance that she'd deepen her wound further.

"You said you wouldn't drink!" She protested angrily as she examined her hand.

Damon laughed. "That was hardly a drink and besides, if you noticed I closed the wound up." He pointed out which caused Elena's eyes to widen as she brushed a finger over her wound. To her surprise there was barely a scar there…it looked as flawless as it did before Damon had created the shallow gash. Elena looked up to the vampire with a confused expression. "Vampire saliva can do that to the smallest of cuts." He simply stated before he gestured for Elena to watch the fountain.

She turned her head just in time to see the new projection appear with the welcome greeting addressed to _Elena Marie Gilbert_. She stared at the projection in awe as she heard the door slowly open.

Damon gave an internal sigh of relief when he saw the projection as he mentally reminded himself to thank Casey for changing the barrier spell.

After a few minutes had passed, the door was completely open and the vampire didn't hesitate to walk inside. He needed a drink after Elena teased him with her blood. Sure he had control but it didn't mean that he didn't want to drink from her…he definitely wanted to in that moment.

Elena was a little reluctant at first to enter but when she noticed that Damon wasn't going to progress any further without her, she walked inside…not knowing what to expect.

She wasn't able to have a better look inside when she was instantly greeted by Casey, who was standing just in front of Damon.

Casey gave Damon and Elena a welcoming yet all-knowing smile as she waved to their surroundings. "Welcome to the New York Safe Haven." She declared as her sapphire eyes (that were beaming with excitement) never left Elena's profile.

_She's the one for him. _

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN #3: So what did you all think?** There was a bit of every 'couple' interaction in this chapter (Elena/Derek with their renewed friendship, Casey/Damon with their sibling stuff, Damon/Elena, Casey/Derek and Damon/Lexi with their love/hate understanding). Speaking of **Lexi**, what did you guys think? I couldn't kill her...not after everything she's done for the Salvatores. In my mind, Lexi may be Stefan's best friend but she's also Casey's best _girl _friend (yet she doesn't know about Casey still having her powers) while she's Damon's 'frenemy' (they have an understanding not to cause permanent damage to one another because of their mutual love for Casey).

**A/N #4: **When it comes to referring to _Life with Derek_, it would be in the same fashion I had done it in this chapter when Derek revealed how he met Casey and how their situation was before they became an item. So readers who aren't LWD fans, don't fret! I'll thoroughly explain something from LWD if it's truly important to the story...otherwise you could easily think of Casey and Derek as _original characters_ (I just say crossover so that I can give the right disclaimer for them even if I did alter them).

**A/N #5: **Just a little heads up guys but since my semester has started (boo!), the workload is going to pile up fast so I'll be unable to update (or write anything for that matter) as freely as I'd like. All my stories have been put on _temporary hiatus_ EXCEPT for this one AND my SPN/LWD story "Second Chances" (which means if I'm going to update anything during the semester, chances are it will be for either this story or for "SC"). Thanks for your patience and support! For a weekly status report, check out my LJ account!

**A/N #6: **Now onto the questions...What do you think will happen next? Will Casey tell Damon about her theory being proven? How many relatives was Derek _ambushed_ with in the haven? What else will Elena learn about when it comes to Casey and her family? **Let me know in a REVIEW and stay tuned! Have a great weekend while I go do my homework (-_-)!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>The Mereana's Magical Items: <strong>

**1) _Spelled Stake_** - it gives the same effect the white oak ash dagger does to Originals except that it works on all the other vampires and you need the blood of a Salvatore to truly revive the vampire, otherwise they will just mummify like the tomb vampires (this stake behaviors like the others when dealing with the Originals)

**2) _New York Safe Haven _(Buffalo, New York) **  
>- <span>one of many safe havens<span> that Casey set up around the world and has modified them as time progressed  
>- only Damon, those with Mereana blood and their destinedlegalized significant others are allowed entrance inside  
>- a DNA scan (a strand of hair) of<em> one<em> individual is required for the first door while a blood sample is required of _ALL_ individuals wanting entrance inside the actual safe haven  
>- no magic outside of the family can penetrate through the multiple of protection barriers put on the locations (witches and vampires can't sense inside the haven but once inside, they can sense outside of it with ease)<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Originally Published:<strong> September 16, 2011

**Edited: **September 30, 2011


	4. Ch 4: It Was More Than That

"**A Journey To Find A Lost Soul"**

**Chapter 4: It Was More Than That**

**A/N #1: **HEY EVERYONE! So sorry for the lack of updates for this story and for all my others but school is getting very hectic! I shouldn't even be updating right now since I should be studying for the two midterms I have at the start of the week *sigh* My brain is going to explode from all the science mumbo-jumbo. BUT I'm updating today because 1) Halloween is tomorrow and 2) in this universe, I have it in my head that Casey Salvatore's birthday is on Oct. 30 so this chapter is to celebrate that!

**A/N #2: **THANK YOU SO MUCH to all the readers who have taken the time to read my story and later adding it to either their alerts or their favs list. It truly means a lot to me as well as all the reviews that this story has gotten. **Thanks a million!**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Vampire Diaries or Life With Derek. They belong to their respective owners (I thank them for creating them in the first place). Recognizable dialogue comes from VD episode _'Bloodlines'._

* * *

><p><strong>Full<strong> **Summary**: Instead of visiting a dear friend alone, Damon takes along Elena just when a rogue vampire flips her car over [1x11]. As time goes on, Damon learns that it might not be Katherine that he needs in order to gain what he's missed most in the world. Will Damon finally get the ending he's been waiting for since he turned or are there just too many obstacles for him to handle? [Crossover yet VD-centric]

**Remember: **For _Vampire Diaries_, this is right after the episode where Elena sleeps with Stefan for the first time just before finding out that she's an exact physical replica to Katherine Pierce.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Vampire Diaries <strong>_**Timeline: **starts off at the beginning of Episode #1.11 – 'Bloodlines' (with focus only on Damon and Elena)

_**Life With Derek **_**Timeline****: **AU (due to specific changes) but it takes place when Casey and Derek (21 – 4th Year) are at Queen's University

* * *

><p><strong>LAST TIME:<strong>

After a few minutes had passed, the door was completely open and the vampire didn't hesitate to walk inside. He needed a drink after Elena teased him with her blood. Sure he had control but it didn't mean that he didn't want to drink from her…he definitely wanted to in that moment.

Elena was a little reluctant at first but when she noticed that Damon wasn't going to progress any further without her, she walked inside…not knowing what to expect.

She wasn't able to have a better look inside when she was instantly greeted by Casey, who was standing just in front of Damon.

Casey gave Damon and Elena welcoming yet all-knowing smile as she waved to their surroundings. "Welcome to the New York Safe Haven." She declared as her sapphire eyes (that were beaming with excitement) never left Elena's profile.

_She's the one for him. _

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Moments Earlier: <strong>

_Derek couldn't say more as he was pulled over the back room's threshold before coming face to face with a lot of Casey's descendants._

The occupants of the New York Safe Haven were aware before the door even opened that Casey and Derek would be walking through the threshold in just a few moments. Not only did the witches in the room sense their arrival the moment they turned down the final hallway but the security monitor that Casey had installed awhile ago as well as the identical fountain replica that was just beside said monitor indicated that _Cassandra Salvatore _and _Derek Michael Venturi_ were about to enter the Mereana domain.

Once the identities were confirmed, many smiles appeared on the faces of the witches as everyone stopped what they were doing as they slowly made their way towards the door…awaiting for their matriarch and her soulmate to walk in. Every one of Casey's descendants knew of her tiring quest to find Derek for the past 145 years and now that she has, everyone couldn't wait to meet him.

Once the door to the Safe Haven was open, Casey could immediately sense all the magical energy that resonated from her descendants; already identifying who was in the room before she took a peak inside as every individual had a different aura around them.

Casey and Derek only managed to get two steps over the threshold before they were ambushed with many cheerful greetings as all the younger Mereanas tried to say hello to their ancestor while their parents greeted her human companion.

Casey giggled as she was pulled from one embrace to the other while Derek just nodded his head as he shook hands with the adults as they welcomed him. He wasn't able to catch any names as his attention would quickly go from one Mereana to the next…it was bizarre and very overwhelming as if he were a rock star being confronted by his excited fans. Yet he would bear with it because of the smile that was currently present on _his_ girl's face.

"Alright guys, slow down!" Casey managed to get out before she was bombarded with more questions, mainly from the younger generations.

"Kids, calm down for Christ's sakes. They aren't going anywhere anytime soon." A husky aged voice stated, bringing Derek's attention to one of the older men in the group that was standing off to the side earlier, not wanting to be trampled on.

Casey smiled when she recognized that the husky voice belonged to Harvey McDowell.

"We're not kids Grandpa." Harvey's nineteen year old granddaughter, Serena McDowell, declared with a twinkle in her green eyes.

"You're all kids to me." Harvey retorted back as he finally made his way to Casey. "It's so good to see you again." He whispered as he pulled her in for a hug, which she happily returned.

"It's good to see you too." Casey declared before she pulled back from Harvey's embrace. "It's good to see you all again. It's definitely been awhile." She declared loud enough for the whole group to hear.

Many of them either nodded or snickered at the statement in total agreement.

The vampire smiled as she made a move to a silent Derek. She could see the slightly nervous look in his eyes, which she found adorable, before she held his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. When she was pleased with the small smile that graced his lips, she turned to face her descendants. "Now before we get to everyone's introductions, I need to ask you all for a tiny favor."

"Anything." Harvey stated, becoming the unofficial spokesperson at the moment.

Casey nodded before she turned to smile at Derek. "First off this is Derek…" She introduced, prompting him to give a short wave before she continued to speak. "And secondly, Damon's here." She wasn't disappointed when she noticed everyone's expression had brightened at the mention of her older brother.

Every one of her descendants _adored_ Damon.

When their mumbles between one another started to get louder, Casey had to wave her free hand in the air just to settle everyone down. "But he's not alone."

The murmurs started up again as they all wondered who the mystery girl was and the vampire couldn't really blame them. Whenever she or Damon visited any family member over the decades, they tended to _not_ bring any guests along with them. It was just easier that way so the prospect of not only Casey bringing someone yet Damon had done so as well, it was bound to bring upon some chatter among the family.

"Is he joining us soon?" Harold McDowell (Harvey's older brother, Dylan and Melissa's grandfather and former owner of _McDowell's Pub_) questioned as he slowly moved his way through the excited crowd.

Casey gave a curt nod. "Yes. I can feel them entering the back hallway as we speak." At the moment, she could hear the part of their conversation when Damon told Elena that if she really wanted to know then she'd have to ask Casey herself. The vampire had to smirk at that because Damon _always_ did that.

All the witches were excited as they felt the duo in question approaching the final door but the more mature members of the group were worried about a possible security breach. "Will it be a problem?" Xavier McDowell (Harold and Harvey's cousin from New York City) questioned, bringing the vampire's attention back to the conversation in the Safe Haven.

Casey's upbeat attitude faltered just a bit but she quickly recomposed herself before anyone noticed. "I'm not sure but I'm testing a theory and I would appreciate it if you don't mention anything about the barrier to Damon. He's to believe that I altered it for the time being to let his friend through." She firmly stated, getting complying nods from everyone as well as a reassuring squeeze of her hand from Derek, who's remained silent as he let her do her thing.

"Who's his friend?" Nineteen year old Alec McDowell (Xavier's grandson) questioned with a suggestive smirk on his face, which only got him a smack in the head by his eighteen year old cousin, Tessa McDowell.

Casey rolled her eyes for the comment but she couldn't help but love the dynamic between the cousins. She loved how close her family had gotten over the decades. "Her name's Elena and she just found out about vampires and witches recently but she does not know that _we_ are witches or that we are related to Damon. She just knows that Damon and I have known each other for awhile and I'd like to keep it like that." She stressed out just when she heard Damon and Elena approach the fountain.

"What can we tell her?" Zachary "Zach" McDowell (Xavier's son and Alec's father) asked just as the fountain inside the Haven displayed the image that stated that _Damon Salvatore_ was just outside the door. Many of the younger Mereanas moved towards the security monitor to see the eldest Salvatore for themselves since the last time any of them saw the male vampire was when they were really young. Some of them were even second guessing whether or not their memories would match with the stories they remembered of Damon.

Casey sighed as she slowly made her way towards the door, with full intentions of being the first to greet Damon and Elena into their sanctuary. "I'm hoping to tell her the major stuff but for now, just have fun and treat her like she's family."

"Let's get this party started then!" Alec declared before he dodged another smack attack from Tessa which led to them chasing each other. Derek was amused by the sight but it looked like their actions caused everyone else to stray off into their own conversations.

Casey checked the monitor quickly, watching the footage of Elena bleeding into the fountain, before she brought her fingers to her mouth and blew out a loud whistle; stopping everyone in their actions immediately. "Oh and one more thing…she's Katherine's doppelganger."

Not a sound was made after that as everyone had some sort of disbelieving expression on their face.

They were _not_ expecting that.

"You don't think…" Alice Smith (a distant cousin of Harold, Harvey and Xavier McDowell from Niagara Falls, Ontario) trailed off due to the second message from the fountain that declared _Elena Marie Gilbert_ had gained entrance into their domain.

"Either way, we're about to find out." Casey stated before she got into her position that was a few feet away from the door as it slowly opened with Derek by her side. Everyone else was scattered a few feet behind Casey and Derek as they too waited for the door to open.

Damon was the first one to enter the Haven with an amused smirk on his face while it covered up his true mood which was caused by his conflicting thoughts pertaining to Elena…specifically her blood. All he knew was that he needed a drink_ now_ so he figured that he'd get all the greetings done first before raiding the Haven's alcohol stash.

His plan would have been easy to complete in a heartbeat…if only Elena just walked over the threshold. He couldn't really blame her for her hesitance (she technically only knew Derek and himself after all) but his patience was wearing thin. He _needed_ that alcohol now; otherwise he'd be raiding a completely _different_ stash that would have the ability to quench his _thirst_.

It was a few moments after he held his ground did Elena finally walk far enough into the Haven to allow for the door to securely shut behind her. The human didn't get much of a chance to look around the place but she was definitely aware of all the eyes that were settled on her now as she stood beside Damon. She tried to seem indifferent from the incredulous looks she was getting from the others as Casey welcomed them into the New York Safe Haven.

Damon didn't waste any time as he made his rounds among his family; shaking hands with all the men (and ruffling the hairs of the boys) while giving European kisses on the cheeks to the ladies (as well as a hug to the youngest girl, fifteen year old Maxine "Max" McDowell who was Alec's little sister).

It was all natural for the male vampire, the way he was with the family and how he would quickly match a name to the grown up face that he saw before him. He was so into it that he didn't notice the confused look Elena had on her face that was directed at him.

Casey had taken both Derek and Elena with her to formally greet everyone while Damon did his own greetings separately (she knew he didn't do it on purpose but she could tell that he missed them, even though he doesn't advertise it often, and that he wanted as many one-on-one moments he could get).

Elena was grateful for the fact that Casey included her and she was planning on going to tell Damon off for the fact that he ditched her for a drink no doubt but that thought was crushed immediately when she finally located Damon in the throng of people.

She caught glimpses of him that she didn't think were possible. She knew that he could be charming when he wanted to be, she's witnessed that skill of his many times over the past few weeks, but for some reason she could tell that it was different this time. It was like he didn't have to put up a front with anyone in the Haven, it was like he could just let go and just _be_ and she couldn't help but wonder _why_ that was…why here of all places? Why did he feel so _free_ here?

Elena was brought of her musings when she felt Casey tap her shoulder. She gave a quick apology for her spacing out moment before she tuned back into the introductions. It wasn't long before the teenager realized that there were three generations present in the Haven and every single one of them was very welcoming towards herself and to Derek. Their gazes still lingered on her a bit longer than normal but she'd figured that she'd ask Casey (or Damon) about that later because she couldn't help but feel like she was missing some important information, which unfortunately wouldn't be a first for her.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

After meeting the four individual families (four sets of McDowells, the Smiths and the Richards) as well as the three sets of elderly couples (Harvey, Harold and Xavier McDowell and their lovely wives), Elena found herself at the bar where Damon was mixing up a drink for himself.

The vampire snickered under his breath when he heard Elena sigh the moment she sat in her bar stool. "Overwhelmed yet?" He questioned before he looked up at her with a smirk on his face.

He was aware that he should have been the one to introduce Elena to everyone while Casey introduced Derek but he needed to greet them in his own way and he was grateful for it. He got the _she-looks-just-like-Katherine _comment or some variation of it so many times in the short amount of time that he's been in the Haven that he was surprised that he hadn't snapped yet. Usually he would have snapped but he wouldn't do that to these relatives…he couldn't do that to Casey. He couldn't really blame them either for their awe at the resemblance; he remembered that he too felt like that when he first saw Elena.

"I wasn't expecting so many of them to be here." Elena truthfully confessed as she still tried to match names with faces as she looked around the Haven.

Damon laughed before he took a swig of his drink. "You haven't seen anything yet. There are _a lot _more of them." He stated and he couldn't help but smirk even more at the wide-eyed expression that Elena was giving him now.

"There's more?"

Before Damon could say anything, Casey joined him behind the bar while Derek took a seat right beside Elena. "Yes but this is it for _this_ Haven." The female vampire answered as she prepared a quick drink for herself in order to subdue her cravings. She didn't mention the fact that she had set up many Safe Havens all over the world for Damon, herself and her descendants...that could be shared with the brunette at a later date.

"Oh." Elena mumbled under her breath as she tried to calm her nerves down. She usually wasn't this shy around new people, usually she was a great people-person but for some reason, that wasn't the case tonight and it really unnerved her.

"Hey Elena?" Casey called out, bringing Elena back to reality. "Want a tour?" She offered before she finished off her drink.

Elena was a little hesitant but she figured she might as well; after all it's called a Safe Haven for a reason. "Sure."

Casey smiled as she placed her empty glass into the sink. She gave Damon a kiss on the cheek before moving around the bar to give Derek a beer and a peck on the lips prior to grabbing Elena's hand and dragging her off to the first part of the Haven.

The boys rolled their eyes as they watched them leave before they turned towards one another.

"So is this the part where you question your sister's boyfriend to make sure he's good enough for her?" Derek quipped once Elena was out of earshot as he crossed his arms and placed them on the bar's counter top.

Damon smirked as he got a beer out for Derek. "What would give you that idea?"

Derek shook his head in the negative before he took a swig of his beer. "I'm a big brother too Damon, whether I like it or not, I'm going to have to do the same thing when Marti is old enough." He stated while dreading the day that Marti, who's nine years younger than Derek, started to date. He wasn't looking forward to that at all.

Damon laughed as he moved around the bar to join Derek. "Touché. Let's get started." He declared before he suggested that they join a few of the Mereanas that were occupying the pool table.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

Elena was astounded by how much was truly in the Safe Haven that she had to keep reminding herself that this was still connected to _McDowell's Pub_. After leaving the guys at the bar, they had passed a pool table (where most of the teenagers were hanging around), an air hockey table (where the younger kids were playing with), and a lounging area (where the adults were) that was equipped with the flat screen television and a huge cabinet filled with rows of movies and video games that seemed to last a lifetime. She couldn't help but think that Jeremy would have a field day with the collection.

Elena was surprised to hear that there was also a fully equipped kitchen with enough tables and chairs for everyone in one of the closed rooms as well as enough bedrooms and bathrooms for everyone. The teenager couldn't believe that all of this was able to fit in what appeared to be such a small space when she first arrived.

Casey then showed and explained the security system to Elena to put any worrying thoughts to rest as the vampire reassured the doppelganger that nobody (human or not) could get through their supernatural barrier.

"How is this all even possible?" Elena found herself asking the vampire as she was being led down a hallway. She couldn't find it in her to keep the question to herself anymore…the curiosity of it all was just eating her up inside.

Casey laughed when she recognized the awe in Elena's voice. "Damon didn't mention anything to you?" Elena shook her head no which caused the vampire to smile. "Good because I actually _like_ explaining it. Damon would have given you the shortest yet most concise answer possible." The black-hair beauty teased, earning a nodded agreement from the brunette. "Anyways, the Safe Haven was created and is being protected by magic." Casey stated as she got to the very end of the hallway.

Elena stopped in her tracks, her brow furrowed out of confusion. "Magic? You have a witch create all of this for your family?"

Casey turned around before she gave a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. "Not exactly."

"I don't understand."

Casey sighed as she closed the distance between herself and the human. "Elena, what I'm about to tell you _cannot_ leave the Haven. Can I trust you to keep it to yourself?" She asked as she slowly dragged Elena to the end of the hallway. She wanted Elena to see things from the very beginning and that meant starting at the very end of the hallway.

"Of course." Elena declared with a smile but that wasn't reassuring enough for the vampire.

She wasn't taking any chances with her family's secret, she never had in the past and she wasn't going to start now. Destined or not, Casey wasn't going to automatically tell Elena the secret, she had to make sure that Elena knew how important this was before she said anything more about the subject.

"Are you sure? That means no mentioning of this to anyone, maybe to Damon when you two are completely alone but otherwise not a word of this should be repeated. Not even in a diary Elena because even those could get into the wrong hands."

Elena's eyes widened at the mention of her diary, completely ignoring the fact that Casey didn't immediately trust her like most people seemed to when it came to the brunette. "How'd you know I have a diary?"

Casey rolled her eyes. "It's a common thing for a female teenager to have Elena now do I have your word?"

"You have my word."

The vampire sighed. "Alright…because I would hate to have to compel you to keep my family's secret." And she _would_ do it. It's never come down to that option but the vampire would do _anything_ necessary to keep her family safe. She wasn't going to chance all the hard work that her and Damon have done over the years to keep the bloodline safe so if the situation called for it, she would compel Elena.

Elena's eyes widened out of shock. "You'd compel me?" The brunette couldn't believe she was hearing this and she really wished that she hadn't left her vervain-filled necklace with Stefan. She had made Damon promise her earlier that he wouldn't mess with her mind while on this _road trip_ so she figured that it wouldn't be a problem. She also never suspected that Casey would compel someone for her bidding because well, she wasn't like Damon. Casey was sweet, welcoming, caring, loving; she was actually all the things you'd find in a maternal figure now that Elena thought about it (which was suiting since Casey was indeed a mother before she turned). Casey was practically Damon's opposite so the fact that Casey would compel someone so easily, like Damon usually does, really threw Elena off for a bit.

Casey's eyes softened. She didn't need her powers to know that Elena was stunned and confused by her implications. "With something _this_ important, yes I would have to compel you to keep it to yourself. This isn't something I tell to just about anyone outside of my family Elena."

Elena nodded with a little bit more understanding. _It's not personally about me…it's just to ensure her family's safety. _She mused to herself before she remembered that two people not related to the vampire seemed to know about her secret. "What about Damon and Derek?"

Casey smiled as she thought about the two most important men in her life now. She truly couldn't imagine her life now without either one of them in it. "To me they are my family and since Damon brought you here, I have to believe that he trusts you to keep this trip a secret. Now for the last time, can I trust you to keep my secret?"

The brunette was still stunned with the amount of trust that Casey had in Damon but she couldn't help but nod her head. Whatever her thoughts were about Damon, they shouldn't determine whether or not she should keep this secret or not for Casey…she was naturally curious but she knew that she'd keep her word to her new vampire acquaintance. "Yes."

Casey searched Elena's chocolate doe eyes and she was very pleased to see truth and conviction in them. Her smile brightened even more with that confirmation. She didn't really want to have to compel Elena.

The vampire took in an unnecessary breath before she motioned for Elena to check out the picture they were standing in front of. "Okay then. The witch that created the Havens Elena are my descendants themselves." She stated with an altered truth. Casey had created the Havens herself but she couldn't reveal that much to Elena.

Elena was busy looking at a somewhat recent picture of what seemed to be the people currently in the Haven, minus Damon and Casey. When she had heard Casey's words, the teenager's head snapped to the vampire's direction as her face had this incredulous look on her face.

"I come from a powerful witch bloodline. Every descendant you met in this Haven is a witch." Casey continued to elaborate. She found Elena's reaction quite amusing to be quite honest but she kept that to herself as she examined the new pictures that have been added across the wall since she was last in this particular Safe Haven.

Elena's jaw dropped a few times as she tried to process the fact that she just met a little over twenty witches since she's arrived. "But you're a vampire." She managed to blurt out a few moments later as she remembered something Bonnie had told her about being a witch and how it's passed through the family…or something like that.

"That I am."

Elena's brow furrowed out of confusion. "Does that mean you're both?"

Casey sighed as she turned to face Elena while contemplating how much she should tell the teenager. It wasn't that she didn't trust Elena, to some degree the vampire did but even Lexi didn't know that Casey was a hybrid. No one outside Damon and her descendants knew that their particular witch bloodline was the _only one_ capable to have _successful_ witch hybrids. She had discovered the theory in one of the older Mereana grimoires when she was still just a witch but it never said that _their_ bloodline was the successful one, it just said that there was a witch bloodline out there that could produce successful witch hybrids. It wasn't until Casey became a vampire did she realize that she was a hybrid instead and with that discovery she made it her mission to hide that fact from the rest of the supernatural world because she knew that if word got out, she would be hunted down and so would the rest of her bloodline.

In the end Casey decided to elude Elena's question and give her the stereotypical textbook type answer in hopes that Elena would be so roped in that she wouldn't even notice that Casey hadn't denied nor confirmed that she was in fact a hybrid. "It's not that simple. Hybrids in the supernatural world are _very_ rare to come across since they tend to screw with the balance of the supernatural world. You either fit in one category or another, you _can't_ be in two." She explained with an authoritative tone and Elena couldn't help but feel like she was getting some sort of lesson when it came to the supernatural world.

"Is there more than one type of hybrid?"

The vampire nodded. "There are three possible hybrid types, whether any of them actually exist is still unknown." She stated with a shrug and she was pleased that Elena couldn't tell that she was lying or not in that moment.

"What do you mean?" Elena couldn't help but find herself both fascinated and a little freaked out about the hybrid possibility. One type of supernatural being was already powerful enough but to have one creature share traits from two supernatural species was a little much…they could do so much damage if they truly wanted to.

Casey sighed again as she turned to face Elena completely as she got herself ready to explain the hybrid concept. "If a witch becomes a vampire, they loose their abilities that came to being a witch as they take on the abilities that come with being a vampire." She paused and with Elena's understanding nod, the vampire continued on with her explanation. "The same thing happens if a werewolf becomes a vampire; the werewolf part becomes dormant while the vampire takes over."

Elena was doing fine until her demeanor turned into a shocked one. "Werewolves are real too?"

Casey nodded regrettably but instead of stopping like she thought Elena wanted her to, the teenager just motioned for the vampire to continue. "Unfortunately yes but you only become a werewolf if you have the wolf gene as we've come to call it. If triggered, the carrier becomes a werewolf. Some people could live their lives without even realizing that they carry the wolf gene."

"So what happens with a witch-werewolf hybrid? I mean one's possible right?" Elena questioned as she still tried to digest the fact that werewolves were real too. She couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by all that Casey was telling her but she knew that deep down that she _needed_ to know this. It's better to know it and not be in the dark about it right?

"Right. The werewolf side becomes the dominant supernatural being. Until the gene is triggered, the witch will still have their abilities."

Elena exhaled deep as she leaned against a part of the wall that held no pictures on it. "Damon didn't mention anything about werewolves."

"It's probably because he never came across one before." Casey declared because she knew that if Damon were aware that werewolves were real, he'd want to hunt them down and kill them since only a select few could have the wolf gene (while you could turn anybody into a vampire).

"Have you?"

"No." Casey declared but she was shaking her head up and down. Elena was about to question the vampire on which answer she meant, the verbal no or the gestured yes, but Casey placed her finger over her lips to tell her not to say anything before she pointed to her ears. Elena got the message immediately and shut her mouth. "I'm just well educated when it comes to the supernatural world." She quipped with a glint in her eyes as she remembered how spot on Derek had pegged her when they first met. She was a keener but when it came to being a hybrid or anything involving the mythical world, being a keener was always better than being a slacker.

Elena smiled before her attention turned to the rest of the photos on the wall behind Casey. There were plenty that made it very distinguishable on when it was taken…if it weren't for the date that was handwritten at the bottom. "So are all your descendants witches or just the ones here?"

"All of them. I came up with the Safe Haven idea to allow for them to have a safe place to reside in if they were ever hunted down or wanted for their power." Casey stated proudly as she moved to stand beside Elena so that she too could see the pictures.

Elena let loose a small giggle before she recomposed herself. "You're not what I pictured a vampire to be."

Casey gave Elena an arched eyebrow look that reminded the brunette of the vampire that had brought her here in the first place. "I take that as a good thing then?" The vampire quipped.

Elena couldn't help the laugh that escaped her before she nodded in agreement.

Casey smirked before her expression turned into a serious one. "Vampire or not Elena, I'd do anything to protect my loved ones."

"Unlike some people I know." Elena mumbled under her breath as the eldest Salvatore came to mind.

The thought of Casey and Damon, two seemingly completely opposite _people_, knowing each other for such a long time still bugged Elena for some reason. The way they greeted each other at the arena earlier was a sight she'd never thought she'd see Damon Salvatore take part in and yet he _had_ with so much excitement and enthusiasm and then there was Casey. Elena had no doubts that Casey was a sweet girl (it was tough to even think of Casey as a vampire) who would do anything and practically everything to protect the people that she cared about (Elena had no doubts about that) but what stumped Elena was how Damon could have gotten such a loving girl to care for _him_.

Casey laughed. "Damon does give off that vibe doesn't he?" The vampire quipped again with an all-knowing smile.

Elena gave a firm nod of her head as her eyes took in a picture from 1994 that had Casey and Damon back in the Safe Haven. They didn't look much different except for their clothes but she could have sworn that Casey looked a bit older in the picture.

The vampire smirked. "I assure you, there is a lot more to Damon than meets the eye." She cryptically stated before she started to head back the way they came.

"How'd you two meet?" Elena questioned in a slight whisper, stopping Casey in her tracks when she only managed to move a few feet away from Elena.

The black-haired beauty turned around with an all-knowing look on her face as she placed her hands on her hips.

Elena couldn't help but gulp in that moment when she turned her head to look at Casey. The teenager had this sudden feeling that she had overstepped some sort of boundary when it came to the subject. "I asked him earlier but he wouldn't tell me." She quickly explained, hoping that she didn't come off as too nosy. For some reason she felt like she wanted to leave a good impression on the vampire which was odd for the brunette.

Casey gave an amused chuckle as she shifted in her spot. "He didn't tell you anything?" This fact didn't bother Casey because Damon was never the type to open up about his past with her to anyone but he had always given Casey the option on whether to tell someone about them or not. Damon would do anything to protect her but most of the time, she'd call the shots because she was always right in the end (a trait that Damon didn't like yet he's grown quite fond of over the years).

Elena sighed as she shrugged her shoulders. "All he said was that you've known each other since before Stefan was born and that you were inseparable when you were kids."

Casey smiled at her words as she motioned Elena to come closer. When Elena was close enough, Casey took Elena's hand in hers before she slowly started to pull Elena down the hallway. "It was more than that. Damon has been my best friend since the day we met."

_**Five year old Cassandra Mereana was sitting on the back porch of the Salvatore Manor as she waited for her mother, Esmeralda Mereana, to come back out after speaking with her father. Her mother asked her to wait on the steps for her which didn't help ease the little girl's nervousness one bit. While it was obvious that she was nervous, she couldn't help but be excited too for the fact that she'll finally get to meet her father. She may only be five years old, but she was quite bright for her age and she knew how huge meeting her father would be. **_

"_**Good afternoon." **_

_**Casey was stunned when she first heard the voice but when she looked up at the owner of said voice, she came face to face with a young boy (possibly a year or two older than her) with jet black hair and the brightest blue eyes she's ever seen that could easily remind her of her own blue eyes. **_

"_**Hi." She greeted right back with a shy smile directed at the young boy while her hands remained in her lap. **_

"_**Are you lost?" He questioned as he slowly sat down beside her. She didn't move away from him; she felt no need to.**_

_**Casey shook her head. "No."**_

"_**Then why are you out here all alone?"**_

_**Casey moved her attention from her thumbs to the boy beside her and that's when she noticed the confused look on his face. She sighed. "My mommy's inside talking to my daddy."**_

"_**Your daddy?"**_

_**Casey nodded with a beaming smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm s'posed to meet him today."**_

_**The boy gave her an understanding nod. "That's cool. Who is he?"**_

"_**Mr. Giu-Gius-" She pouted when she couldn't pronounce her father's name. She knew how to say it in her head, she just couldn't get her voice to say it right. **_

_**The boy gave a humorous laugh before he decided to help her out. "Giuseppe Salvatore?"**_

_**Casey's whole expression lit up when she heard her father's name. "That's it! It's too hard to say."**_

"_**I see." The boy said and the little girl couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. She just got that feeling and she didn't like it. **_

"_**Do you know him?"**_

_**The boy gave an affirmative nod. "Yes."**_

_**Casey gasped. "How?"**_

"_**He's my father." He stated as he looked her straight in the eyes. She didn't get why he was looking at her so weirdly but after awhile it seemed like he gave up on whatever he was looking for before he spoke again. "I'm sorry but I didn't catch your name."**_

"_**I'm Cassandra Mereana but my mommy calls me Casey." She exclaimed as she placed her hand out in front of them. **_

_**He laughed as he took her hand in his to shake. "Hi Casey, I'm Damon Salvatore."**_

"_**You have the same last name as my daddy." She stated out loud as her young mind tried to figure out if that meant anything. **_

_**Damon smiled at the little girl. "Yes I do." **_

_**Casey pouted when she couldn't come up with the connection on her own. "Does that mean something?" **_

_**He laughed because of that adorable pout of hers. "For us it means that I'm your brother." **_

_**Her smile brightened even more. "Really?" He nodded which earned himself a little squeal from the little girl. "I always wanted a brother." **_

_**Damon smiled. "Well here I am." **_

_**Nothing else could be said as the sound of footsteps approaching brought the children's attention to their approaching visitor. It wasn't long before Esmeralda Mereana walked through the back door only to be exposed to the sight of her daughter talking to a young boy. **_

"_**Honey, there you are!" Twenty-four year old Esmeralda declared as she stepped down the stairs until she was standing in front of her daughter. **_

_**Casey eagerly waved to her mother. "Hi Mommy. Do I get to meet Daddy now?" **_

_**Esmeralda sighed before she gave her daughter a sad smile. "I'm sorry Sweetie, not today." **_

_**Casey pouted as she tried not to cry. "Okay." She stated as she kept her gaze on the hem of her mother's dress. **_

"_**And who might you be?" She heard her mother ask Damon, who was now standing just off to the side. He had gotten up when Esmeralda was making her way down the stairs. **_

"_**I'm Damon Salvatore ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you." He introduced himself with a straight posture as he held his hand out to the lady. **_

_**Esmeralda smiled. "Giuseppe's son. It's nice to meet you Damon." She politely stated as she gave Damon's hand a quick shake. **_

_**Casey sniffled a bit before she managed to look back up at her mother. "Mommy, Damon says he's my brother 'cause we share the same daddy. Is that true?" **_

_**The little girl noticed the stunned look on her mother's face but she didn't get why she looked like that all of a sudden. "We'll talk about it on the way home Honey. It's time for us to go. Say goodbye to Damon." **_

_**To everyone's surprise, Casey leaped off her spot on the steps as she barreled herself into Damon, giving him the biggest hug she could possibly give him. **_

"_**Bye Damon." She stated with a smile as she looked up at him, her sapphire eyes were shining with happiness even though she was sad just moments ago. She may not be able to see her father today but she learned she had a brother…that alone made the little girl happy. She only wished that she could see him again. **_

_**Before she could pull away, Damon hugged her back. "Bye Casey. I'll see you around."**_

"_**Okay!" Casey practically squealed with excitement before she pulled away from Damon and headed towards the walkway that she had first used with her mother earlier. **_

The vampire had a smile on her face when she remembered the day she met Damon. Sure she was sad that she never got to meet Giuseppe Salvatore that day but she learned later on that it was for the best. Meeting Damon would always be the highlight of that day, of that year for the five year old.

"And we were inseparable since then. Damon would meet my mother and me in town after his lessons everyday and he'd take me to the park or the field for some fun while my mother tended to her errands." She continued to tell Elena while leaving out the fact that Damon was her big brother. She had to alter the retelling of how she met Damon but the version Elena heard was close enough to the truth.

Elena was still in awe after hearing how they met and she couldn't help but get the image of mini-Casey and mini-Damon meeting one another out of her mind. **"**What about after Stefan was born?" She questioned a few moments later after remembering her semi-boyfriend (she didn't really know where they stood due to the recent developments between them from last night).

"Damon would still spend time with me. I didn't get along with the other kids because I was the smallest but Damon would always make time for me and protect me from the town bullies. After Stefan was a few months old, Damon would take me to see his brother and his mother but only if Giuseppe wasn't around." She explained as they slowly walked down the hallway, stopping every so often to check out the next picture.

"His father?"

Casey grimaced at the thought of Giuseppe Salvatore. "He…didn't like me that much. But Damon's mother did. In the short amount of time that I knew her, she was very kind and loving towards me. " She declared with a smile as she remembered Cecilia Salvatore. She always welcomed Casey with open arms while she was pregnant with Stefan and just after giving birth to the youngest Salvatore before she passed on. Cecilia never knew that Casey was actually Giuseppe's illegitimate daughter with a woman he had a short affair with at a tavern just outside of town.

There was a long pause between the human and vampire before Elena decided to say something. "And what about when you both became vampires?"

"That's…a story for another time Elena." Casey stated regretfully. She didn't feel like talking about that…not now at least.

"I understand." Elena didn't push Casey any further on the subject but that didn't mean she didn't have anymore questions to ask. "Can I ask you something?" Casey nodded as she took a closer look at a picture taken in the 1950s during one of hers and Damon's visits. Elena exhaled deeply; shifting a bit closer to Casey to check the picture out too before she spoke her mind. "I thought witches and vampires aren't supposed to get along."

Casey chuckled. "They usually don't but my bloodline is the only witch bloodline that Damon and I trust our lives with. Family defines us, _not_ some supernatural rivalry that's been in effect since the beginning of time." She firmly stated before she looked over her shoulder to give Elena a challenging look before she started to head to the next and final portrait in that particular hallway.

"So Damon's considered family by not just you but by every one of your descendants?" Elena questioned as she turned to follow Casey to the next portrait. When she was close enough, the vampire pointed to the family portrait before them with a sad smile on her face.

Elena didn't get why Casey's smile was sad until she took a look at the portrait that was dated in 1863. She couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips as she took in the family that started it all for these people in the Haven. _This was before Damon became a vampire. _Elena mused to herself before she looked the picture over.

She could see Casey with long black hair in the most beautiful period dress that Elena's ever seen while she sat beside a gorgeous man in a tuxedo with short brown hair and shimmering green eyes. Elena could only assume that he was Casey's husband. But the little girl that sat between the couple was adorable as she smiled as brightly as a toddler could with her short black hair out of her bright green eyes. The little girl's hands seemed to be tugging on something in front of her and when Elena lowered her gaze to follow the girl's hands, she was truly surprised to see that the little girl's hands were tangled in Damon's hair as he sat on the floor in front of her with a playful smile on his face. Elena then noticed that Damon seemed to be sandwiched between two twin boys, each with slicked-back brown hair and identical sets of blue eyes as they leaned against Damon's shoulders while trying not to block their respective parents that they stood in front of. Elena would have easily assumed that the twins were Damon's if she'd hadn't already known that Casey had three children while Damon didn't have any when he was human. She could see Casey's hand on one twin's shoulder while her husband's hand was on the other twin's shoulder while Damon's arms were wrapped around each of the twins' waist.

_They look like a happy family. _She couldn't help but think and she was surprised that Damon of all people was included in that moment.

When Casey noticed that Elena was done looking at the family portrait, she finally decided to answer her question. "Not only is Damon my best friend but without him, I _never_ would have met my husband Michael and without Michael, I never would have had the family that I was blessed with."

Elena nodded as she still tried to absorb this new information that someone actually needed Damon and he had come through for her. It definitely confused her because Damon wasn't like that with Stefan and they were _brothers_. "Basically a domino effect then?" She found herself asking a few moments later.

Casey laughed at the analogy. "Precisely."

"Wow."

Before Casey could reply, she heard her name being shouted from across the room. _Damon. _The two girls mused together as the vampire rolled her eyes while the human giggled before they made their way back to the bar.

"Seriously Damon? I could hear you perfectly fine with more distance between us so there was no need to shout just now." Casey reprimanded in a mocking manner just as she and Elena were approaching the bar where Damon, Derek and a few of the teenagers were waiting.

Damon rolled his eyes as he turned around in his bar stool before he addressed his approaching sister. "Well excuse me but I figured since I couldn't hear you when you were back there then you might not have heard me from out here."

"Oh I could have heard you with no problem." Casey admitted with a mischievous look before she planted a kiss on Derek's cheek as a greeting to her boyfriend.

Damon's brow furrowed out of confusion. He had tried multiple times during Casey and Elena's absence that he tried to eavesdrop to make sure their time together was going smoothly for them but he always got nothing. He could hear their heartbeats yet he couldn't hear their words. "Then why was I having problems?"

"Because you're _you_." Elena teased as she found it hard to resist in that moment to not comment.

Damon gave a mock sneer to the human. "Cute Elena. What'd you do?" He stated with the second part aimed mainly at his sister as he glared at her.

"Nothing." Casey innocently stated with a shrug.

She wasn't going to tell him that she had placed a spell on the hallway to block their words from being picked up by his vampire hearing. She didn't want Damon hearing certain things (like werewolves existing) since he most certainly wasn't ready to learn that the myths he's heard were real so she took extra precaution when Elena questioned Casey about her encounters with the servants of the moon.

Damon scoffed. "Liar."

Casey pouted. "That's hurts."

"So is lying to your best friend but you're doing it anyways." Damon retorted back as he tried to snatch another glass of alcohol but Andrew McDowell (current _McDowell's Pub_ owner, Harold's son and father to Dylan and Melissa) was fast for a human as he took the bottle out of Damon's reach.

Casey snickered when Damon was denied his alcohol. "Is there a reason you called?"

"Yeah, I wanna get started but they wouldn't let me start without you." Damon declared with a grimace as he watched Andrew serve everyone else alcohol (if they were allowed to have it of course).

Casey's face scrunched up out of confusion. It was a known fact that Damon could be a little impatient when it came to _having fun _so she understood if he started anything without her but to be denied that now was a little weird. "Why not? You could've been halfway done by now."

Damon huffed. "Donation time Case and Andrew's not letting me near the vervain-free alcohol until after we give our cut." The vampire stated with a glare directed at Andrew, who was smirking behind the bar. Whenever Casey, Damon or any of the other hybrids visited a Safe Haven, they would always donate a bag or two of their blood to keep in storage there, just in case the residing descendants needed it in case of an emergency.

"Why haven't you given yours already?" Casey questioned, not understanding why that was still an issue.

"Because I just got here!" Twenty-two year old Melissa McDowell declared just before she appeared out of the teenage crowd that was surrounding the bar.

Damon raised his hands out of relief. "It's about time! I need blood _or_ alcohol in me since like…yesterday." He protested since he could already feel the alcohol that he consumed with his burger earlier leaving his system.

"Damon knock it off." Casey chided as she smacked her brother in the shoulder.

Melissa sighed as she tried to catch her breath. "Sorry Uncle Damon but my shift just ended. Serena took forever getting out there and I wanted to run the donation thing this time." She explained quickly as she rummaged to find the stuff she needed. She was still a little out of breath due to the growing crowd in the pub and Dylan wouldn't let her off until their cousin, Serena, showed up. Melissa understood why her cousin was late from leaving the Haven but it didn't mean she had to like it.

"Why?" Damon and Casey questioned simultaneously as they watched Melissa gather all that she needed while the vampires sat in the specialized chairs that were positioned against the wall while still being part of the bar area.

Melissa shrugged as she made her way towards Damon. "Medical school."

Damon turned his head to Casey as he spoke in a conspiratory whisper. "Ah, we're just her practice pin cushions then." Casey didn't hesitate when she smacked Damon in the back of his head this time. The vampire groaned. "Was that really necessary?"

Casey shrugged her shoulders as she watched Melissa tab Damon's arm for a suitable vein. "I don't know, you tell me." The hybrid quipped before she turned to give Derek a wink, who (along with Elena) was watching the vampires' interaction.

Elena had taken a seat beside Derek when she arrived (when Casey went to banter with Damon) and she couldn't help it when a lot more questions formed in her mind (_Uncle Damon_ seemed to be stuck in her mind but she could only reason that Casey's descendants were being respectful to their _elders_ when it came to Damon…although it would be funny to hear one of them refer to Casey as _Grandma Casey_). Thankfully Tessa or Alec (who were seated on Derek and Elena's free sides) were able to tell her about the so-called donation thing that Damon was referring to. Derek knew the gist of what Melissa was currently getting the vampires ready for (Damon brought it up to him earlier) but it couldn't help to get a little more information from Alec and Tessa, who he was surprisingly becoming fast friends with.

Melissa chuckled when she heard some of Damon's cursed mumbles in response to Casey's teasing as she carefully stuck him with the needle.

"I can still hear you." Casey taunted her brother as Melissa went to stand between them as she tended to Casey's arm.

Damon gave a playful glare at Casey as he leaned in towards Melissa. "Mel, do your uncle a favor and stick your _grandma_ hard."

Casey gave a playful glare right back to him while Melissa laughed before she found the appropriate vein for the needle. "I see the stories are true."

"No story is ever true Sweetheart." Damon retorted as he pulled back just in time for Andrew to pass him a glass of blood. Someone would always give the vampires a glass of blood once they started donating…it was to make sure the vampire remained strong as they gave enough blood at a time as possible. No one wanted an extremely weak _and_ thirsty vampire near them; whether they were family or not.

"I beg to differ." Casey piped in just as Melissa finished hooking her up to the equipment.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Of course _you_ would." He stated before he took a gulp of his bloody drink.

Casey smirked at her brother and took a sip of her bloody drink once Melissa passed it to her. It didn't take long before Damon convinced Andrew to serve the teenage masses around the bar with a few alcoholic drinks. Andrew denied it at first since none of them, besides Derek, were legally allowed but Alec wasn't having any of it. With a few retorts here and there between the nineteen year old NYU student and the family pub's current owner, Alec finally got his distant Uncle Andrew to cave as he declared that _it's in honor of Damon and Casey's visit_.

Andrew had rolled his eyes but he relented before he told his daughter, Melissa, to take over the bartending job since he wasn't going to witness underage drinking. The vampires just laughed as they watched him return to his wife and the other parents of the current bunch of teenagers while Melissa started unloading a couple of beer bottles on to the bar's island top. One by one, Alec, Tessa, Derek and twenty year old Lindsey Smith (Alice's daughter) took one off the counter while Melissa gave the vampires a refill on their bloody drinks. Seventeen year old Cynthia Smith (Lindsey's sister) was quick when she snatched up the only root beer on the counter.

Derek grabbed the last beer bottle and handed it over to Elena but she was hesitant to take it. The last time she had drank any type of alcohol was at the party the night her parent's died.

"One isn't going to hurt 'Lena." Derek whispered as he offered the bottle back to her again.

Elena sighed before she took the proffered beer. "Okay."

Damon was surprised by Elena's sudden acceptance. "Hmm?"

Elena turned her head slightly to face Damon as she had heard his little quizzical _sound_. "Time out remember for five minutes?"

Damon raised an eyebrow at Elena as she passed her beer bottle to Melissa to open.

"Yeah well, that five minutes is going to need a beer." Elena declared before getting her drink back.

Damon chuckled as he raised his bloody drink to Elena in a mock toast; she returned the favor before clinking bottles with Derek prior to taking her first swig of the night…the first of many.

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN #3: **So how was that? Sorry it was long but I sort of had more in mind for this chapter but I guess I'll have to save that for the next chapter (I think Ch. 5 will be the last one to focus on ep. 1x11). How did you guys like the little background history that Casey was telling Elena? That will come into play later on in the story so keep that info in mind! What did you guys think of Casey's flashback? Do you think Elena's thoughts on Damon are changing...or at least shifting just a bit? **Let me know in a review!**

**A/N #4: **I just wanted to give you guys a heads up about a new 'story' that I posted...it mainly consists of a lot of snippets/drabbles/oneshots from various fandoms but a few of them so far are from LWD and VD (I've gone _Supernatural _and _Nikita_ too so far). It's called **"A Moment In Time" **and I hope you guys check it out and tell me what you think because who knows, I might further a snippet into something more later. Also if you have a challenge that you want to see me attempt, just sent it to me through a "AMIT" review and I'll give it a try. **Happy Halloween Everyone!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Mentioned Descendants <strong>(all descendants from Andrew Damon McDowell – Casey's first son)**: **

**1) **_**Dylan and Melissa McDowell **__(siblings – Buffalo, New York)_

**2) **_**Harold and Harvey McDowell **__(brothers – Buffalo, New York)_

**3) **_**Serena McDowell **__(Harvey's granddaughter – Buffalo, New York)_

**4) **_**Zachary and Alec McDowell **__(father/son – New York City, New York) _

**5) **_**Xavier McDowell **__(Zachary's father – New York City, New York)_

**6) **_**Tessa McDowell **__(Xavier's granddaughter – New York City, New York)_

**7) **_**Alice Smith (née Cooper)**__(distant cousin of Harold, Harvey and Xavier McDowell – Niagara Falls, Ontario) _

**8) **_**Maxine McDowell **__(Zachary's daughter – New York City, New York)_

**9) **_**Andrew McDowell **__(Harold's son, Dylan and Melissa's father – Buffalo, New York)_

**10) **_**Lindsey and Cynthia Smith **__(Alice's daughters – Niagara Falls, Ontario)_

* * *

><p><strong>Originally Published: <strong>October 30, 2011 (in this universe, this is Cassandra Salvatore's birthday)


	5. Ch 5: Goodbye Buffalo

"**A Journey To Find A Lost Soul"**

**Chapter 5: Goodbye Buffalo  
><strong>

**A/N #1:** Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay but I just wanted to say that my semester is officially done and this chapter is in celebration of that AND for the fact that today is **Ian Somerhalder**'s birthday (**Damon Salvatore**)!

**A/N #2: **I just wanted to say thank you to all those are reading and leaving reviews for this story (and to all my others). It truly means the world to me to know that someone is interesting in my writing! **You guys all rock!**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Vampire Diaries or Life With Derek. They belong to their respective owners (I thank them for creating them in the first place). Recognizable dialogue comes from VD episode _'Bloodlines'._

* * *

><p><strong>Full<strong> **Summary**: Instead of visiting a dear friend alone, Damon takes along Elena just when a rogue vampire flips her car over [1x11]. As time goes on, Damon learns that it might not be Katherine that he needs in order to gain what he's missed most in the world. Will Damon finally get the ending he's been waiting for since he turned or are there just too many obstacles for him to handle? [Crossover yet VD-centric]

**Remember: **For _Vampire Diaries_, this is right after the episode where Elena sleeps with Stefan for the first time just before finding out that she's an exact physical replica to Katherine Pierce.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Vampire Diaries <strong>_**Timeline: **starts off at the beginning of Episode #1.11 – 'Bloodlines' (with focus only on Damon and Elena)

_**Life With Derek **_**Timeline****: **AU (due to specific changes) but it takes place when Casey and Derek (21 – 4th Year) are at Queen's University

* * *

><p><strong>LAST TIME:<strong>

Derek grabbed the last beer bottle and handed it over to Elena but she was hesitant to take it. The last time she had drank any type of alcohol was at the party the night her parent's died.

"One isn't going to hurt Elena." Derek whispered as he offered the bottle back to her again.

Elena sighed before she took the proffered beer. "Okay."

Damon was surprised by Elena's sudden acceptance. "Hmm?"

Elena turned her head slightly to face Damon as she had heard his little quizzical _sound_. "Time out remember for five minutes?"

Damon raised an eyebrow at Elena as she passed her beer bottle to Melissa to open.

"Yeah well, that five minutes is going to need a beer." Elena declared before getting her drink back.

Damon chuckled as he raised his bloody drink to Elena in a mock toast; she returned the favor before clinking bottles with Derek prior to taking her first swig of the night…the first of many.

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p>While Damon and Casey had to remain in their seats to complete their blood donations with no interference, Derek, Elena and the rest of the teens that were hanging around were sharing stories from all over the place; parties, school functions, family memories (all Mereanas made sure to keep certain things tight-lipped while around Elena) while they waited for the vampires to finish their donations.<p>

It wasn't until four cups of blood and another round of beer later were they free to join in on the party because for Damon and Casey, they were _never_ too old to participate in a party of _any_ kind.

At the moment, they were in the middle of a drinking game with Melissa pouring the shots while Cynthia called the time. Everyone was laughing and having a good time…especially Elena after two beers and three shots of tequila. The girl was on fire with her speed…Damon couldn't believe it. He was definitely impressed.

Elena laughed when she noticed that she had beaten everyone once again. "That's three. Do you need a bib?" She taunted the vampire that brought her here and who was currently sitting across from her (him and Casey stood behind the bar with Melissa and Cynthia) as she tucked her lower lip under her teeth.

Damon scoffed as he wiped some residual beverage off his lips. "Sorry but I can't unhinge my jaw like a snake to consume alcohol."

The other participants snickered while Elena's face was beaming with a bright smile as she tapped against the counter. She was _really _getting into this. "Whatever. Alright, who's next? Another round Mel!" She strongly suggested as she was looking between her follow teenagers before she looked to the pseudo-bartender for the evening as she brought out another bottle.

"Lena, you should be on the floor right now." Tessa exclaimed with a tiny slur as she held onto Alec to keep her balance. The cousins weren't new to the scene when it came to drinking but while attending parties from high school and now at NYU, they've come across many girls around Elena's size that would be on the floor or stumbling around like a drunken idiot by now due to their quick alcohol consumption. So these two college cousins were surprised that this particular brunette could apparently hold her own in a drinking game.

Elena shook her head from side to side. "I am not even drunk. My tolerance is, like, way up here." She declared as she jumped up and down to make a point of how high said tolerance was.

Casey turned to give her brother an amused expression as she found Elena's carefree attitude refreshing. Damon just laughed it off before he turned his attention back to Elena just as Melissa finished filling the shot glasses up. Cynthia called the countdown before another round began.

Eventually the mini party got moved to the pool table as their drinks turned from tequila shots back to beer bottles as the current Mereana generation went head to head with Derek and Elena. At times Damon and Casey would disappear throughout the game to spend a few moments with the younger Mereanas at the air hockey table or to spend a few moments divulging in idle chit-chat with parental figures of said Mereana youngsters. At times flashes could be seen from time to time as Cynthia, the aspiring family photographer, captured the reunited moments (as often as she could) among her family members and their vampire ancestors.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

Damon and Casey stood off to the side of the room, a new glass of blood in each of their hands, as they watched all the Haven's inhabitants before their eyes settled on Derek and Elena. They were engaged in an intense pool game with Alec and Tessa.

Damon chuckled when he saw Elena's happy twirl dance after she'd successfully sunken her target into the corner pocket. "And to think she loosened up after a few drinks."

"Sometimes that's all a girl needs to let loose." Casey stated out of amusement before she finished off her last blood drink.

"She's not like other girls." He stated as his eyes stayed on Elena's form the whole time.

Casey couldn't help but smile as she looked between her brother and the doppelganger. "No she's not."

"You know something." Damon stated as he moved his attention to Casey. "What aren't you telling me?"

Casey sighed. "It's not the right time for you to know Damon." And it wasn't. She couldn't tell him about Elena passing the Haven barrier with no interference from her because he wouldn't accept it. As long as he was determined to reunite with Katherine, anything against that would set him off. He wouldn't accept what she had to say so lightly and she didn't want to mess with the good vibe that he was in at the moment.

"You always say that."

"You'll figure it out on your own."

Damon rolled his eyes as he finished off his blood. "Don't I at least get a hint?"

She thought that over for a moment before she decided that she could at least _warn _her brother somehow. "I need more time to research but I think the fact that Elena looks like Katherine might be a problem later on." She didn't need to be a witch to know that. Katherine was a type of person that would step on a lot of people's toes so it's only natural that she'd made many enemies throughout her undead life.

Damon's brow furrowed out of confusion before he looked to his sister again. "How big a problem are we talking about?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm unsure at the moment." Damon was about to argue with her about keeping stuff from him but she quickly rectified that. "But I'll let you know."

"When the time's right, you mean." He stated dejectedly once he noticed that stubborn look in her cobalt eyes. He wasn't going to get anymore out of her.

Casey chuckled before she gave Damon a quick kiss on the cheek. "Exactly. Derek and I should probably get going."

Damon sighed as he looked back at the pool table, where Derek and Elena were laughing their heads off from their win. "Yeah, I should be heading back to Mystic Falls with Elena now." He didn't like that thought one bit once it left his mouth…he really didn't want the night to end. It's been a long time since he's spent time with Casey and the family.

Casey gave her brother a small smile, knowing roughly where his thoughts where headed, before she dragged him to the pool table.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

The two humans were resistant when they discovered that it was time to leave but their drunken states seemed to make the ultimate decision for them as they looked like they would pass out any minute. Melissa managed to whisper a brief reawakening spell to the two humans, a 30-minute hangover remedy that lasted long enough for Derek and Elena to give proper goodbyes to all the Mereanas before being escorted out of the Safe Haven by the vampires.

They made quick stops to say goodbye to Dylan and Serena, who were still working in the Pub, before they managed to get to Damon's Camaro. It wasn't long before Damon pulled up against the hotel that Derek's hockey team was staying at overnight.

"So this is it." Damon stated as he put his car into park.

Casey immediately leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Damon as she gave him a hug from behind. "It was great seeing you again Damon."

Damon smirked as he turned his head a bit. "Well it has been awhile."

"Well you won't have to wait _that_ long for the next time." Casey stated with a knowing smile as she loosened her grip around Damon.

Damon's hand instantly flew up to hold her arms in place. "Next time?"

Her smile never faltered when her gaze matched his. "You'll see. Amarvi. **_[Love you.]_**" She declared, placing another kiss to his cheek before she took back her arms.

Damon chuckled. "Ti amo troppo. _**[Love you too.]**_" He declared in Italian like she had, as she got out of the car. Derek gave his simple goodbye to Damon (as Casey gave one to Elena) before he grabbed his hockey bag and joined his girlfriend on the curb. Damon gave them both a mock salute before he pulled back onto the road.

"So how long before I feel like a drunken idiot again?" Derek mused as he swung his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders.

Casey giggled. "Not long but then I could redo the spell again for you if you want." She whispered as they made their way to the elevator. The coach had everyone checked in to the hotel when they first arrived into the city. He didn't want to have to deal with it after the big game.

"Can you make me less drunk?" Derek whispered into her ear as he could slowly feel the spell fading from his body.

"I could."

Derek smiled into her hair as he kissed her ear. "Have I ever told you how much I love that you're a witch?"

The hybrid couldn't help but giggle again. Derek just had that effect on her. "Not tonight."

"Then let me start." He declared just before the elevator doors opened to their floor.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

"So how long does that spell last?" Elena questioned after they've been on the road for five minutes. She still couldn't believe how alert she felt, considering how much alcohol she had consumed. One minute she was ready to say 'lights out' and the next she was as alert as she was when she first arrived in the Safe Haven.

Damon shrugged as his eyes remained on the darkened road. "It depends but Melissa gave it a 30-minute lifespan this time."

"What happens once the 30-minutes are up?" She questioned as she turned her head in time to catch his smirk.

"Light's out for you." He stated with amusement lacing his voice before he turned his attention to her. "Any last coherent words?"

Elena glared at the vampire. "Not funny."

Damon snickered. "I thought it was." Elena huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest before leaning further into her seat. "Did you have fun?"

Elena smiled as she could slowly feel the spell wearing off of her. "I did…and I learned a lot too."

"Really? Like what?"

Elena closed her eyes as she fought through her drunken haze for just a bit longer. "Like how her family comes from a line of witches…and how you two met and became best friends." Elena couldn't help but giggle at the last part since her mind had conjured up what she thought Casey and Damon looked like when they were just kids saying hello to each other for the first time.

Damon rolled his eyes. _Of course she'd tell her that. _"Is that so?"

"I thought it was sweet." She stated before she yawned. The vampire didn't say anything as he listened to her slowed breathing, an indication that she was fast asleep.

"That's one way to look at it." He mumbled to himself before he let his mind wonder back to the day that he first met his little sister and her mother, Esmeralda.

"_**I'm Damon Salvatore ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you." The seven-year-old boy introduced himself to the very young lady with piercing green eyes and beautiful black hair and he instantly knew that she was Casey's mother. He had only known the little girl for a very short amount of time but for some reason, he felt this connection with her. With no hesitation and his back now straight, he held his hand out to the lady before him. **_

_**Ms. Mereana smiled. "Giuseppe's son. It's nice to meet you Damon." She politely stated as she gave Damon's hand a quick shake. **_

_**Casey sniffled a bit before she managed to look back up at her mother. "Mommy, Damon says he's my brother 'cause we share the same daddy. Is that true?"**_

_**Damon was nervous about how Ms. Mereana would react to that. He had already concluded that since he never knew about Casey then chances are that Casey never knew about him before today. His worries faded just a bit when he saw Ms. Mereana's stunned expression turn into a softer one as she addressed her daughter. "We'll talk about it on the way home Honey. It's time for us to go. Say goodbye to Damon." **_

_**To everyone's surprise, Casey leaped off her spot on the steps as she barreled herself into Damon, giving him the biggest hug she could possibly give him. **_

"_**Bye Damon." She stated with a smile as she looked up at him, her sapphire eyes were shining with happiness even though she was sad just moments ago. The little boy couldn't believe how accepting the little girl was but he definitely knew that he would try his hardest to keep her happy. **_

_**Before she could pull away, Damon hugged her back. "Bye Casey. I'll see you around."**_

"_**Okay!" Casey practically squealed with excitement before she pulled away from Damon, who was trying to fight off his chuckles as he watched her scurry off.**_

_**Ms. Mereana only managed to take a few steps in the same direction her daughter went before Damon reacted by calling her name as politely as he could. **_

_**She turned around to give him a questioning look. "Yes?" **_

_**The little boy took a deep breath before he voiced his suspicions. "He didn't want to see her did he?" He knew that his father could be a difficult man but he couldn't understand why he'd want to not meet Casey. Damon would have thought that the old man would simply fall in love with the sweet little girl after meeting her. She was his flesh and blood after all...family.  
><strong>_

_**Ms. Mereana sighed. "No Sweetie, he didn't." She stated before she turned her back and started walking towards the path to the carriage. **_

"_**Can I see her again?" Damon found himself asking loudly which caused the young lady to pause in her steps again. **_

"_**Excuse me?"**_

_**Damon quickly closed the distance between them as he tried to think of the right words. He didn't want to seem rude or overstepping his boundaries in any way. "I'm sorry it's just…if she's really my sister I don't want to turn my back on her like my father seems to have done." He explained with as much wisdom and truth as he could for his young age. He may have just met little Casey but he felt like he needed to know her and just be there for her. It's what a brother is for…right?**_

"_**She doesn't need-" She never got a change to full out refuse the little boy's request as he cut her right off. **_

"_**I won't leave her. I promise Ms. Mereana…I just want a chance to know her." Damon practically pleaded. He knew that he shouldn't have interrupted her, but he couldn't stand the idea of being rejected. **_

_**She was looking at him oddly, like she was searching for something that only Damon could give her and he would in a heartbeat give her anything if it meant that she'd give his idea a chance…he just wished that he knew what it was he needed to do to prove himself. **_

"_**What about your family Damon? Your father doesn't want me or Casey to come back here." She stated a few moments later; her emerald eyes still seemed to be searching for some answers on him. **_

_**Damon shrugged his shoulders. "I don't care. I won't let my father stop me from knowing my own sister." **_

"_**And your mother? She doesn't know about Casey." **_

_**That request was a tough one for the little boy. He didn't mind defying his father but he hated it when he lied to his mother. He loved his mother dearly and he'd do anything for her but it would be wrong of him to turn his back on his sister…it's what his mother taught him after all. **_

"_**I won't tell, I promise Ms. Mereana. I just want to get to know her." He declared with no hint of doubt. He knew this was the right thing. That little girl deserved better and she had the right to know her family and if Giuseppe wasn't going to give it to her, then Damon would just have to be the link for her. If he had to keep it a secret that they were siblings, so be it.  
><strong>_

_**Ms. Mereana's probing eyes seemed to have lightened up after that. "You're sweet and very persistent for a young boy." **_

"_**Does that mean…?" She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips when she saw the hopeful glint in the little boy's eyes. **_

"_**I'll be in town with my daughter tomorrow afternoon near the quarry. You're welcome to join us Damon." She told him with a smile before she turned around a final time before she walked away. **_

"_**I'll see you both tomorrow then Ms. Mereana!" Damon shouted out with a smile on his face as he waved at her departing body. **_

_**Ms. Mereana laughed but she never looked back. "Have a good day Damon." She shouted back before she left Damon's sight. **_

He smirked at the memory of how he practically fought for a spot in Casey's life. He had asked Esmeralda about the searching stares she fixed on him that day but she only managed to tell him days before her death. He still couldn't believe that it was his _pure heart_ that had sealed the deal for him with Esmeralda. She claimed that her power had allowed her to see that his true intentions with Casey were genuine and that he had really wanted to get to know and to just simply be there for the little girl. He didn't think he had a pure heart anymore but he couldn't help but feel grateful that his seven-year-old self hadn't been corrupted enough to strip that title away from him because without that title, Casey never would have been in his life. And that was something he never wanted to think about.

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Next Morning:<strong>

Elena awoke with a pounding headache after a full night's rest with Damon smirking behind the wheel. They had stopped at one point for breakfast at a truck stop (she also managed to get some Advil for her headache) before they were back on the road with most of their morning consisting of random chit-chat or Elena asking questions to clarify some of her memories of last night. Damon had his fun when it came to those moments.

They were just outside of Mystic Falls when Elena had found enough courage inside of her to ask Damon what she wanted to ask since he took her to Buffalo.

"So why did you bring me with you?" She innocently asked, her eyes on his profile while his attention was focused on the road ahead of him (not that he needed to).

"Well you're not the worst company in the world Elena. You should give yourself more credit." He stated with a smirk as he shifted his attention between her and the road.

Elena quirked an eyebrow at him, not believing a single word of what he just said. "Seriously?"

Damon shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. You were there in the road…all damsel-in-distress like. And I knew it would piss off Stefan. And…you're not the worst company in the world Elena." He knew his reasons weren't convincing (hell the real reasons were still sketchy to him), especially when he could see her shaking her head with an amused smile on her face.

She let it slide with her next statement. "I used to be more fun." She declared with a pout which caused Damon to snicker.

"You did okay." He stated as his focus remained on the road and it wasn't long before he could see the Mystic Falls welcome sign with his vampire sight. "Now I hate to be serious but duty calls. I'm sure that Casey gave you the warning but I'm giving it to you again." His words grabbed her attention once again and before she could say anything, he continued. "Not one word of this trip is to be mentioned Elena. No one is to know that you met any Mereana and no one is to know about the Safe Haven in Buffalo." His voice was stern and intimidating but it was necessary to deliver his warning that way because he meant business…especially when it came to Casey's safety.

She remembered Casey's privacy warning back at the Safe Haven. A part of her thought that Casey was just being overprotective of her family's well-being but with Damon's repeated warning, she couldn't help but think that the two vampires meant business. "Would you compel me to stay quiet?" She questioned moments later since she specifically remembered how Casey would compel anyone to stay away if it meant keeping her family safe.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

Elena nodded when he had nothing else to add. She understood what he meant; he would do it if he thought it was necessary. She didn't know whether to admire the fact that he'd do anything for the people that took him in as one of their own or be scared of the idea that he would go back on his word to her.

"I don't want to break my promise to Casey…she seems like the type of girl that takes that type of thing seriously." She thought out loud as she looked out the window as more familiar places were coming into view for her.

Damon chuckled. "She is. She's not very fond of disloyalty…especially when she's willing to put everything down on the line for someone she cares about."

"Was she always like that?" She asked which brought a smirk onto Damon's face.

"Always. It intensified once she turned so basically if you screw her over…actually, don't even think about doing it. Are we clear?" His tone was playful but when she turned to face him, she could see it in his eyes how serious he was.

Elena gave him a reassuring smile and a nod just before she saw the welcome to town sign. "So what do I say?" She asked moments later when she spotted the clock tower that was located in the Mystic Town Square.

"If anyone asks, we were hanging out in Georgia for a stress-free day. Sound good?"

Elena shrugged her shoulders. "I can live with that."

"Good so am I dropping you off at home?" The vampire questioned as he was quickly approaching Elena's street.

"I think I need to see Stefan first."

Damon rolled his eyes as he continued down the main road that would eventually lead him to the Boarding House. "If you insist."

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

It was all too much for Elena and he'd barely begun in his explanations. She wasn't lying to Stefan when she said that she could handle the supernatural news. As crazy as it may sound, she has handled those bits of information fairly well considering the situation but she could not handle any of the emotional damage that could be inflicted on her because of his lies when it came to Katherine.

And apparently it wasn't just Katherine he had been lying to her about. He'd also lied to her about the day they truly met; the day of the car accident...the day her parents died. Stefan had been the one to rescue her when everyone else thought that it was a miracle that she survived the tragic event. And it was her resemblance to Katherine that had compelled him to stay in Mystic Falls to watch her and make sure she was _nothing_ like her vampire counterpart.

On some level, Elena should have been freaked at the idea of having a vampire stalker all those months and not being aware of it. But on the other hand, she understood why he needed the confirmation. If she saw the face of someone she thought died a long time ago again, she was pretty sure she'd want to make sure that it wasn't the same person. So she let that fact slide as she moved the conversation along…to something she'd been wondering the whole time since she found Katherine's picture.

_Why do I look like her?_

After her day with Casey and her brief talk with Damon about vampires back in Buffalo, she figured that Katherine had a child before she was turned. It was that simple right? One of her parents had to be related to Katherine in some way in order for them to look like identical twins but that's not what Stefan told her.

_You were adopted Elena. _

That piece of information was what threw her the most and it brought her to tears. She didn't want to believe that Grayson and Miranda weren't her biological parents but the more Stefan talked about his research into her lineage, the more betrayed she felt. _How could they keep that from me?_

She could hear his many reassurances that _she_ is the one that he loves and not _her_ but her mind was too focused on the fact that she was adopted. She needed to find out more but she felt so…torn that she didn't know what to do.

Before she knew it, she was forgiving her vampire boyfriend with a kiss. He then pulled her into a comforting hug but all she could think about was how she wished that she was back in Buffalo with Damon and the others, back to the moment where everything made more sense to her...when she didn't feel so lost.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

After dropping Elena off at the Boarding House, Damon headed straight for the Mystic Grill. He didn't really want to be present when the _lovely couple_ kissed and made up.

He rolled his eyes at the thought as he fished out his phone. He pressed his speed dial just as he pulled down the town's main street once again.

"_Forever 21, how may I help you?_" Casey's voice greeted with such enthusiasm over the phone.

Damon laughed. "Oh that's rich coming from you." He sarcastically stated which caused his sister to laugh too.

"_I know right._"

"Well you sound awfully cheery today."

"_Why shouldn't I be? We did win the championship game yesterday!_" She shouted and it was only then did Damon fully hear the loud cheers in the background as they responded to his sister's statement.

"Are you stuck on a bus with a bunch of humans Case?" He asked with an incredulous tone as he tried to hide his worry for her. One human was enough to drive a vampire crazy with the sound of their blood pumping throughout their body but to be around over two dozen humans? That alone would drive a vampire insane and the fact that she's on a bus with that many…he feared for her control.

"_Now what gave you that idea?_" Casey innocently questioned before she exhaled. "_Relax I'm fine and in total control. We're reaching campus in just a few short minutes._" He knew he shouldn't worry about her but he didn't want her thirst to control her and ultimately make her do something that she'd regret immediately afterwards. Either way, he couldn't help but worry for his sister.

"I thought you'd be there by now." He stated as he pulled into the parking lot beside the Mystic Grill.

Casey snickered. "_We all had a late start. Either way you have impeccable timing._"

Damon chuckled as he turned his car's engine off. "Indeed I do. Just calling to tell you we made it back alright. Didn't want you to worry."

"_I'll always worry. It's in my nature remember._"

Damon scoffed since it was in a vampire's nature to kill, not to worry. "Loosen up then and take care of your boy."

"_You take care of your girl._" Casey stated with a knowing tone that Damon was all too familiar with.

Damon rolled his eyes. "She's not my girl."

Casey giggled. _"Whatever you say Damon. I'll talk to you later…the bus is pulling in now._"

"No problem. Amarvi."

"_Ti amo troppo._" She replied automatically in Italian before they both hung up. He placed his phone back into his pocket as he made his way to the bartender to order himself a drink.

Little did Damon know, a certain _teacher_ was watching his every move as the memory of the vampire killing his wife crossed his mind.

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN #3: **So that concludes Episode 1x11 of VD! So what did you guys think? Any ideas on what Casey thinks is going to happen? Whatever happened to all the other characters in this episode (Jeremy, Stefan, Bonnie, etc.), it all still happened for them like in the episode.

**A/N #4: **Before anyone asks, I just want to clear something up for Damon. Although Damon _promised_ that he wouldn't mess with Elena's mind, if he thinks that there is a possibility that she will let something about Casey and the Mereanas slip, he won't hesitant to compel her into keeping her mouth shut. At this point, I want it to be very clear that although the Damon/Elena pseudo-friendship is starting, he would do anything when it comes to either Katherine or Casey & Co. Like in the series when Damon would do anything to get Katherine out of the tomb, Damon would do absolutely anything to make sure Casey & Co are safe (even though he would deny that he had a carrying bone in his body).

**A/N #5: **Alright once again, **thank you readers for all your support! It truly means a lot to me.** I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to reading your thoughts on what you think could happen next!

* * *

><p><strong>Originally Published: <strong>December 8, 2011


	6. Ch 6: Little Boy Lost

"**A Journey To Find A Lost Soul"**

**Chapter 6: Little Boy Lost**

**A/N #1: **Hey everyone! **Happy New Year!** I just wanted to post something before it really got hectic for me since my semester just started today (and I already have a ton of reading to do). So **thank you so much **for all the hits and reviews that you guys have given me, it really means the world to me and it keeps the inspiration flowing!

**A/N #2: **Today was a weird day because I just had this need to update today so I checked and apparently it's **Nina Dobrev's birthday!** The lovely actress who plays the sweet Elena and the sinister Katherine. So lets celebrate that with this chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Vampire Diaries or Life With Derek. They belong to their respective owners (I thank them for creating them in the first place). Recognizable dialogue comes from VD episode _'Blood Brothers'._

* * *

><p><strong>Full<strong> **Summary**: Instead of visiting a dear friend alone, Damon takes along Elena just when a rogue vampire flips her car over [1x11]. As time goes on, Damon learns that it might not be Katherine that he needs in order to gain what he's missed most in the world. Will Damon finally get the ending he's been waiting for since he turned or are there just too many obstacles for him to handle? [Crossover yet VD-centric]

**Remember: **For _Vampire Diaries_, this is right after the episode where Elena sleeps with Stefan for the first time just before finding out that she's an exact physical replica to Katherine Pierce.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Vampire Diaries <strong>_**Timeline: **starts off at the beginning of Episode #1x11 – 'Bloodlines' (with focus only on Damon and Elena)

_**Life With Derek **_**Timeline****: **AU (due to specific changes) but it takes place when Casey and Derek (21 – 4th Year) are at Queen's University

* * *

><p><strong>LAST TIME:<strong>

"I thought you'd be there by now." He stated as he pulled into the parking lot beside the Mystic Grill.

Casey snickered. "_We all had a late start. Either way you have impeccable timing._"

Damon chuckled as he turned his car's engine off. "Indeed I do. Just calling to tell you we made it back alright. Didn't want you to worry."

"_I'll always worry. It's in my nature remember._"

Damon scoffed since it was in a vampire's nature to kill, not to worry. "Loosen up then and take care of your boy."

"_You take care of your girl._" Casey stated with a knowing tone that Damon was all too familiar with.

Damon rolled his eyes. "She's not my girl."

Casey giggled. _"Whatever you say Damon. I'll talk to you later…the bus is pulling in now._"

"No problem. Amarvi."

"_Ti amo troppo._" She replied automatically in Italian before they both hung up. He placed his phone back into his pocket as he made his way to the bartender to order himself a drink.

Little did Damon know, a certain _teacher_ was watching his every move as the memory of the vampire killing his wife crossed his mind.

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>One Month Later:<strong>

Damon still couldn't believe it. He had waited 145 years for the moment yet it never came to pass. He followed through with every part of his plan and yet he was rewarded with nothing because Katherine was _never_ in the tomb.

It had been just under two weeks since he forced Bonnie and Shelia Bennett to open up the tomb under the church. He remembered his excitement with just the mere thought that he'd be reunited with his love after all this time but that feeling was shattered once he searched the underground tomb. There was no trace of his vampire love anywhere. He had gone through the whole tomb three times before Elena had gone in after him. He had done a mental head count every time but he always got the same result; one number short. He searched through all the mummified faces just to make sure and yet he saw no one that matched Katherine's description.

He didn't know what to do after that.

Ever since then, he's been drowning himself in booze, blood and women. He didn't care how he acquired any of the three, as long as it took his pain away, he was fine with it. He didn't want to feel the magnified betrayal, the grief or the sense of abandonment that he felt due to Katherine's absence. He turned for her…he _died_ for her…wasn't that enough? Wasn't _he _enough for her? The same questions always swirled around in his head to the point that he just wanted to drink the thoughts away. He didn't want to _think_ anymore. But no matter how much he drank, whether it was booze or blood, it didn't matter because he still felt torn up inside; he still _loved _Katherine yet he knew that he should _hate_ her. He _really_ wanted to hate her. It would make his undead life that much simpler if he could.

He really didn't know what to do. Vampires weren't supposed to be conflicted about anything. If they wanted something, they go after it without a thought yet here he was, brooding in his own way as his conflicted thoughts swirled in his head.

The temptation to call Casey was definitely present. Just a simple _hello_ would be enough to calm him down and get his thoughts in order but he couldn't find it in himself to do it. He knew that if he called his sister, she would either ask questions (which would lead to a confession about the latest events in his life) or she knew about it all before he called her. Sometimes the latter was usually the case when it came to Casey yet either way, this vampire couldn't risk it. Damon knew that Casey would drop _everything_ to help him through this tragic discovery (just like he would do for her if the roles were reversed) yet he couldn't be selfish like that with her. With anyone else, Damon would be as selfish as they come but with Casey he couldn't, no he _wouldn't_ be selfish when it came to his little sister. Calling her meant that she would come to Mystic Falls for him but then that would lead to her leaving Derek behind since he had just started his final semester at Queens (Casey already had enough degrees to her name so delaying classes didn't really matter for the vampire) and well, Damon just couldn't separate those two; not after everything. After all the fighting between him and Casey when it came to Katherine, Damon figured that he deserved to wallow in his pain alone because he always knew that he _should _have listened to Casey's warnings. He was just too blinded by Katherine to listen to his own sister. That should have been his first warning…if a girl was going to come between him and Casey then she was definitely not the one for him.

So instead of calling up his hybrid sister, he flipped the switch for a little bit as he relished in his assortment of _drinks_ while thinking that all was lost on the Katherine front.

It wasn't until Damon made the connection between Katherine and Isobel did he realize that maybe all was not lost when it came to his vampire love.

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>One Month Later: <strong>

Today had been a long day for the eldest Salvatore. Actually it had been a busy month (what with the tomb vampires escaping and Stefan going off the rails) but with Stefan in a cell detoxing, it seemed like Damon was doing all the _heavy lifting_ that Stefan usually took care of. Damon didn't like the temporary role reversal but it had to be done. Since Stefan wasn't sane enough to help him figure out John Gilbert's plan, Damon had to rely on Alaric Saltzman to help him out.

It was definitely a strange day for the vampire, even though Grove Hill turned out to be a dead end. All he wanted to do was go back to the boarding house and end the night with a couple of drinks. Instead he got a nosy teenager who was indirectly blaming him for his brother's brooding. He always hated that when it came to Elena; she always took Stefan's side without getting the whole story (as if he could do no wrong when compared to the older brother). It was like one talk was all it took for her to believe that she understood everything there was to know about the Salvatore brothers.

Boy was she _wrong_ and Damon was going to rectify that.

He wasn't going to say anything at first but with her insistence, he started to talk. Damon told Elena that it was Stefan who had forced Damon to complete his transition. He told her that Stefan had become a different person the very moment that he feasted on human blood and that he truly didn't care if Stefan decided to end his life. Elena didn't believe that and before Damon could say anything, she took off to check on Stefan.

Damon sighed when he heard her quickening steps as he poured himself another glass of bourbon. He took a much needed sip of his drink just before he heard the front door slam shut.

He rolled his eyes as he made his way towards the fire. He knew that Stefan would be down by the quarry if he wasn't in his basement cell. He knew that his brother would return to the spot where he had damned them both to Hell.

"_**How do you feel?" Stefan questioned once Damon got back from his short exploratory walk just after he finished his transition. **_

"_**You were right. It's a whole new world." Damon exclaimed as he closed the distance between him and Stefan. He still couldn't believe how enhanced his senses had become. **_

_**Stefan smiled. "We can explore it together."**_

_**Damon sighed as he took another lungful of air into his body; of course he didn't need to but that fact was still new to him. "You got what you wanted…you and me for all eternity. But hear this brother…" Damon started as he inched closer to Stefan. "…I will make it an eternity of misery for you." The elder Salvatore declared with so much convicted hate before he sped away from his brother, ignoring his shouts for him to come back.**_

_**Damon couldn't get away fast enough. It took almost all of his control to not rip Stefan apart the moment he finished his transition. Damon just couldn't handle it. He had a plan and Stefan had ruined everything for him. Not only was it his brother's fault that Katherine was taken away from him, but now he was stuck living out eternity without Katherine…and without Casey. **_

_**It wasn't until Damon was on the other side of the quarry did he realize that someone was tailing him. Thanks to his enhanced vampiric hearing, Damon heard the faint heartbeat that represented a vampire's presence. **_

_**Damon growled when he felt the presence closing in on him. "In case my promise wasn't clear enough Stefan, I…" He sneered as he turned around to face his intruder but his words died in his throat when he saw the person in front of him. "Casey?"**_

_**Casey gave her older brother a sad smile, her hands fidgeting in front of her. "Hello brother."**_

_**That's all Damon needed before he used his newfound speed to race towards Casey and envelop her in a much needed hug. Casey gave a surprised squeal when she felt Damon's arms snake around her waist before he lifted her up and twirled her around in his arms. It still shocked her when her brother blurred before her eyes to reach her and the way his body moved so fluidly was another bit of proof of what her brother now was…a creature of the night. **_

_**After a few twirls, Damon allowed Casey's feet to touch the ground but he never let go of her, in fact his hold on her tightened which would have been a problem for Casey if she were still human. **_

"**_Where the hell have you been?" Damon questioned in a whisper, his nose resting in the crook of her neck as he inhaled her scent that he'd been missing for months. He was so overwhelmed with the fact that his sister was back that he didn't even realize that in the position that he was in, he _should_ be tempted to drink her blood…yet he wasn't. _**

_**Casey sighed. "It's a long story."**_

_**Damon pulled back enough to look Casey in the eyes; one sapphire pair meeting the other. "You've been declared missing for three months Casey. Michael and I have been worried sick about you." He stated as memories of the last three months came rushing back to him. **_

_**The last time Damon saw Casey was when she was meeting up with him in Mystic Falls' town square since she needed to grab a few things that weren't available in Fell's Church, a town just a few hours outside of Mystic Falls. Michael and Casey had moved there shortly after they were married with Damon visiting as often as he could. It was only two days later that Damon was visited by a frantic Michael who was worried about his wife's whereabouts. Together they searched all over town and in the towns that surrounded Mystic Falls but they came up with nothing. **_

"_**Were you Damon?" Casey sadly questioned as she pulled out of her brother's embrace which shook Damon out of his memories. **_

_**Damon gave his sister an incredulous look. "Of course I was. Why would you think otherwise?" He didn't understand how she could ask him that. Had he done something to make her think otherwise?**_

_**Casey noticed the confused glint in her brother's eyes, which caused her to sigh in defeat. "I warned you Damon yet you refused to listen to me and now look where we are."**_

"_**What's that supposed to mean?" Damon questioned as his brow furrowed out of confusion. **_

"_**Why'd you drink from her Damon?" Casey questioned with a doe-eyed expression and Damon could see that she was on the verge of tears. "Death is better than becoming a monster."**_

_**His eyes widened as her words hit him at full force. He didn't know what to say to that. It was hazy but he could remember Casey's warnings about Katherine just after his sister had met the vampire. He remembered how she told him to stay clear of her or something that he'd regret would happen. He immediately brushed it off as his ego insisted that he could take care of himself but had he known that his actions would indirectly affect Casey like they had, he was pretty sure that he would have been more careful.**_

"_**How can you say that when you're one too?" He questioned a little heatedly, not liking the guilt that he was feeling (yet he didn't know why he was feeling guilty all of a sudden). **_

"_**I didn't want to be a vampire! Being one has kept me from the ones that I love Damon." Casey declared, her tears were falling freely down her cheeks as she thought of her worried family back in Fell's Church which caused the elder Salvatore's resolve to break just a bit more. He knew that it wasn't his fault that the vampires had come to town yet he couldn't help but feel guilty since he wanted them to stay; because that meant that Katherine would stay. **_

_**Damon sighed. "Then how?" It was all he could manage to ask before his voice broke due to all the emotions that he was experiencing. He definitely didn't like the magnified feelings at the moment but he knew that now wasn't the time to switch them off; Casey needed him. **_

_**Casey sniffled a bit, inhaling deeply as she wiped a few tears away. "On my way home after our goodbye, I was attacked in the woods. I was practically mauled to the point that I thought I would die."**_

_**Damon's eyes widened at the news. He knew she had to die in order to become a vampire but he never expected it to be so…gruesome. She didn't deserve this, she didn't deserve any of the things that a vampire would have to go through. Casey was one of the purest people he knew, with a family that needed her and now…Damon sighed at the thought of what being a vampire could do to Casey. **_

"_**But you're here." He whispered as he took a step towards her. **_

_**Casey nodded. "I lost so much blood to the point that I attracted the attention of two female vampires. I was too weak to realize what they truly were so I didn't hesitate as I begged them to help me. I kept telling them that I needed to live for my children, for my husband, for you and before I knew it, one of their wrists was being thrust to my mouth as they fed me their blood." She explained in a whisper as more tears started to fall from her eyes. Damon could only assume that their presence was due to her remembering that horrible night that had turned her world upside down. **_

"_**Then what?"**_ _**He asked after a few moments of silence between them. He had closed the distance between them so that he could brush away the tears that she had missed earlier.**_

"_**We were interrupted and during the altercation, I ended up being killed with enough blood in my system to allow me to come back in transition. I woke up to two vampires and a very bloody man lying beside me yet before I could even process anything, I drank him dry and completed the transition." Casey continued on with her anguish-filled eyes tearing him up inside. He could see three months worth of pain and confliction in her sapphire eyes and he truly wished that she wasn't damned into this life like him. He may have wanted to be a vampire for Katherine but that was the only reason; his love for Katherine is the only reason why he'd turn into such a creature for all of eternity. If there were no Katherine, he wouldn't want to be a vampire.**_

_**Damon pulled Casey into another hug, hoping that it would comfort her in some way. He was pleased when he felt her arms tighten around his waist as she hugged him back, her face buried into his chest with his chin resting atop her head.**_

"_**It turned out that it was Pearl who gave me her blood and she decided to take me under her wing for the time being." Her words were a bit muffled but he could hear her loud and clear. He should have suspected that if it were any vampire to have turned Casey then Pearl would have been a more probable option. He remembered many of Pearl's absences from town over the past few months and the fact that Pearl was a mother herself could be the reason why she wanted to save Casey in the first place after she had mentioned her children needing her. **_

"_**And that's why you've been away. She's been helping you gain control?" Damon questioned a few moments later after mulling over what she had just said. **_

_**Casey nodded into his chest. "It's not much but it's a start. She even asked Emily Bennett to help me out with the request to keep my change a secret."**_

_**Damon immediately pulled away from Casey, his hands instantly landed on her shoulders as he looked wide-eyed into her eyes. "Emily knew?" He didn't know how he felt about that but it got him wondering on the possibility of Katherine somehow knowing about Casey's change. **_

_**Casey sighed. "She knows a lot more than she's telling Damon."**_

_**His eyes narrowed as her words sunk into his brain. "Does she know about you?" Damon whispered as he referred to Casey's witch heritage. **_

_**Casey shook her head from side to side. "No, that's still kept a secret." She replied in a whisper that only Damon could hear. **_

"_**But are you still one?" Casey nodded her head in an affirmative matter, with a smile on her face which caused Damon to sigh out of relief. **_

_**Being a witch had been a part of Casey's life since she was just a child, if she didn't have that anymore…well he really didn't want to think about what Casey would be dealing with. He knew for certain that it would have crushed her. **_

"_**So what happens now?" He asked after a few more minutes of silence as he was lost in his thoughts as well as the new sounds he was experiencing around him. **_

"_**We make the best of our situation." **_

Damon gazed into the fire as he took another sip of his bourbon before taking a seat on the leather chair by the fireplace. He placed his glass on the side table as he picked up the device that Pearl had given him, analyzing the little device as he lost himself in his memories once more.

He remembered his reunion with his sister all too clearly as he learned more about vampires as the night went on. He discovered that she came off as a curious newborn whenever she was around Pearl, Anna or Emily during the past few months, giving off the impression that she knew nothing about the supernatural which made it all the more believable when she asked so many questions. He remembered how he would split his time between Casey and Stefan, he didn't want to but he did. Casey would stay on the outskirts of town yet she remained far away from Stefan and his ripper tendencies. Damon never told Stefan about Casey's change and he was never going to; it was always her call and he always respected that of her.

So whenever he was with Stefan, he was always cleaning up after his brother and trying desperately to keep their low profile intact, which was difficult with Stefan's feeding habits. Whenever Damon was with Casey, on the other hand, she was helping him hone in on his control when it came to his bloodlust while she worked on hers. Most of their time together was spent trying to become the best vampire they could be while still holding on to what made them, well _them_ when they were human. Casey still practiced magic while Damon was still getting use to the new world around him. It still amazes him to this day how powerful his sister truly is.

Before Damon could dwell anymore on the early years of his vampire life, he heard a car pull up to the boarding house. It wasn't long before he caught a whiff of Stefan and Elena's individual scents as they made their way to the front door.

He didn't have to turn around to know when the couple had arrived at the threshold of the living room. Their eyes were focused on Damon's back as he continued to look at the device in his hands.

"Little boy lost." Damon mocked before looking up from the device to see that Elena was clinging on to Stefan's arm.

Elena rolled her eyes before she turned to Stefan. "I'll be upstairs okay?" Stefan gave a simple nod as his answer before Elena turned her attention to Damon, bidding him a good night before she headed up to her boyfriend's room.

Damon placed the device back on the side table before he grabbed his glass of bourbon again as he monitored Elena's location by the sound of her steps.

"Thank you." Stefan stated a few moments later after taking a few steps closer to his brother.

"No Stefan, thank you." Damon sarcastically stated as he swirled his glass a bit, causing the liquid inside to swirl around its edges. "You're back on Bambi blood, and I'm the big badass brother again. All is right in the world." He finished off just as Stefan took a seat in the leather couch.

Stefan sighed. "I mean it. Thank you. For...helping her take care of me."

Damon wanted to scoff but he held it back. "You brood too much. Everything on this planet is not your fault. My actions, what I do, it's _not_ your fault. I own them. They belong to me. You are _not_ allowed to feel _my_ guilt." He declared in a way that left no arguments.

Stefan gave a curt nod. "Do you feel guilt?"

Damon shrugged, not really wanting to have this discussion but he knew he couldn't avoid it. "If I wanted to, it's there." He stated before taking another needed sip of his bourbon.

When Damon wouldn't say anymore on the subject, Stefan took that as a sign for him to leave. He was just about to leave the room when Damon's words stopped him.

"Did you know that Emily waited until after I turned to tell me she'd been successful in protecting Katherine with her spell? She didn't want me to know about the tomb. She thought it would impact my decision." He shared, not really sure why he was telling Stefan this after all these years.

Damon had learned about the tomb a week after his transition. He had approached Emily, alone, in hopes of gaining more information for himself and Casey when it came to a specific spell they had been talking about but it turned out that he came back with loads of information that he hadn't expected. Not only did he learn that the Bennett witch had no knowledge of Casey's spell but he learned everything about the tomb that Emily was willing to share with him.

"She didn't want either one of us to turn. She said it was a curse." Stefan continued on as he remembered the conversation he had with Emily just after Damon took off that night at the quarry.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Witches...judgy little things." He commented with a smirk as he thought of every witch he'd come across over the years…with Casey and her descendants being the exception of course.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"'Cause I didn't want you to know." Damon protested immediately as he stared Stefan down. "'Cause I hated you, and I still do."

Stefan nodded, sadly. "I know."

"But not because you forced me to turn." Damon added causing Stefan's brow to furrow out of confusion.

"Then why?" Stefan questioned since he thought that was the main reason why his brother hated him so much; aside from Katherine of course.

Damon immediately stood from his seat, his glass still in his hands, as he closed the distance between them. "Because she turned _you_. It was just supposed to be me, Stefan..._just__ me_." He wanted to say so much more when it came to his hatred for his little brother but he couldn't, he wouldn't bring Casey up. Damon hadn't spoken about Casey to Stefan since her wedding to Michael back in 1859.

So before he said anything more, Damon walked out, leaving a sullen Stefan behind.

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN #3: **And there you have it; a Damon-centric way when it came to events in VD episodes 1x15 and 1x20 (bringing us to February 2010). As a reminder, anything that's canon that wasn't been mentioned specifically is still applied in the story (ie: Jeremy's budding romance with Anna, John's quest against the tomb vampires, etc.). That reminder can be forgotten when it comes to episodes after 1x21 because the next chapter will deal with Founder's Day and that's when the fun will begin again and things will start to change...I guarantee it. So what did you think? I hope you enjoyed the flashback of Damon and Casey or of how I portrayed Damon's inner thoughts. **Let me know in a review!**

**A/N #4: ****SPOILER ALERT for VD's 3x10; **Did anyone else have a fan-girl moment when Damon finally kissed Elena? I definitely did and I was glad that he went for it. If the guy is going to be guilty about something, it might as well be about something that he actually _did _(if you know what I mean). Team Damon/Delena!

**A/N #5: **Just a heads up once again that updates will be less than usual due to my winter semester starting up again but I'll still be taking notes whenever inspiration strikes me so I won't forget this story (or any of the others that I'm working on)! Good luck to those who have gone back to school! I know I'll need it after the packed reading lists that I've acquired today.

* * *

><p><strong>Originally Published: <strong>January 9, 2012


	7. Ch 7: Founder's Day  Pt 1

"**A Journey To Find A Lost Soul"**

**Chapter 7: Founder's Day (Part 1)**

**A/N #1:** I'm so sorry that it's been months since I updated this story but I managed to get bits and pieces of it done over the semester and I finally got it finished after my exam last week but I couldn't post it until I finished the two exams I had this week. So I'm updating now, end of story and end of rant!

**A/N #2: **A quick thank you for all of you that have reviewed and who are still reading this story; it means the world to me! So I'll let you get to reading but I apologize in advance for any grammar mistakes that I might have missed. So enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own _Vampire Diaries_ or _Life With Derek_. They belong to their respective owners (I thank them for creating them in the first place). Recognizable dialogue comes from VD episode _'Founder's Day'._

* * *

><p><strong>Full<strong> **Summary**: Instead of visiting a dear friend alone, Damon takes along Elena just when a rogue vampire flips her car over [1x11]. As time goes on, Damon learns that it might not be Katherine that he needs in order to gain what he's missed most in the world. Will Damon finally get the ending he's been waiting for since he turned or are there just too many obstacles for him to handle? [Crossover yet VD-centric]

**Remember: **For _Vampire Diaries_, this is right after the episode where Elena sleeps with Stefan for the first time just before finding out that she's an exact physical replica to Katherine Pierce.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Vampire Diaries <strong>_**Timeline: **starts off at the beginning of Episode #1x11 – 'Bloodlines' (with focus only on Damon and Elena)

_**Life With Derek **_**Timeline****: **AU (due to specific changes) but it takes place when Casey and Derek (21 – 4th Year) are at Queen's University

* * *

><p><strong>LAST TIME:<strong>

"She didn't want either one of us to turn. She said it was a curse." Stefan continued on as he remembered the conversation he had with Emily just after Damon took off that night at the quarry.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Witches...judgy little things." He commented with a smirk as he thought of every witch he'd come across over the years…with Casey and her descendants being the exception of course.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"'Cause I didn't want you to know." Damon protested immediately as he stared Stefan down. "'Cause I hated you, and I still do."

Stefan nodded, sadly. "I know."

"But not because you forced me to turn." Damon added causing Stefan's brow to furrow out of confusion.

"Then why?" Stefan questioned since he thought that was the main reason why his brother hated him so much; aside from Katherine of course.

Damon immediately stood from his seat, his glass still in his hands, as he closed the distance between them. "Because she turned _you_. It was just supposed to be me, Stefan..._just me_." He wanted to say so much more when it came to his hatred for his little brother but he couldn't, he wouldn't bring Casey up. Damon hadn't spoken about Casey to Stefan since her wedding to Michael back in 1859.

So before he said anything more, Damon walked out, leaving a sullen Stefan behind.

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Two Weeks Later (Wednesday February 24, 2010):<strong>

The streets of Mystic Falls were filled with people of all ages as they gathered for the Founder's Day parade; the kick off event for the town's celebration. The parade mainly consisted of students from the high school as they participated in showing the town what it was like back when the town was first discovered back in the 1800s.

One thing about these Founder events was that it was easy to get lost in the crowd once everything was in full swing; a fact that a certain couple took advantage of as they parked their car on a less crowded street just as the marching band started to play.

The driver stepped out of his car, completely stunned when he took the town's current appearance in; there were streamers and banners everywhere, as if every street was hosting a block party. It seemed like the town was more involved in the event than his own university campus is when one of their teams was in the championship finals.

"I still can't believe that you had to wear clothes like that." Derek Venturi commented towards his vampire-witch hybrid girlfriend as he took in the clothes some of the people were wearing in the parade.

Casey McDonald giggled as she moved to join Derek by his side. "It _looks_ a lot better than it _feels_. Trust me on that."

Derek chuckled as he weaved one of his arms around her waist, hoping it would relax her a bit more. She was a bit on edge during the drive there. "Are you sure you want to be here?" He whispered into her ear even though he knew that she could hear him loud and clear.

Casey nodded her head as she watched the parade. "No matter _who_ is here, I wouldn't miss an opportunity like this Derek." She stated truthfully before she started to pull Derek into the crowd. She had visited Mystic Falls only a few times over the years but she always knew that she'd return for this moment because it wasn't everyday that someone could claim to be at both the founding and the 150th year celebration of the same town.

"That's true." Derek stated with a nod before he released a groan when he heard the PA system go off again.

"_Ladies __and gentlemen please welcome our stunning Miss Mystic Falls court and their handsome escort._" The announcer stated and Derek instantly recognized that voice; his Aunt Carol Lockwood.

Casey giggled once again as they made their way through the crowd. "Are _you_ sure you made the right decision coming here with me?" She questioned with a bemused expression. She knew how much Derek detested his Aunt Carol based on her superiority complex; it was very hard to please her when he was a kid as she always nit-picked at him and his _unacceptable_ behavior. It really pissed him off when she turned that criticism onto Edwin and Marti and they were really young at the time. The fact that Derek would risk encountering his aunt again for her warmed the hybrid's heart even more.

Derek rolled his eyes. "I'll live now c'mon." He stated as he picked up his pace so that he walked along his girlfriend's side. Usually he'd be the one pulling her through the crowd but he knew that she was heading towards a specific spot…to a specific _someone_.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

Damon smirked as the crowd went wild after Carol introduced the Miss Mystic Falls court float. A part of him thought that he should be up there escorting Elena on that float instead of Stefan but apparently they didn't see it that way. They just completely ignored the fact that it was the _older_ Salvatore brother that Elena had danced with at said court pageant just three weeks ago and not the brother that was currently standing with her.

Usually the vampire would be growling at the mere thought of things not going his way but that other part of him didn't mind that he wasn't on that float because he'd much rather be on the ground when his sister arrived. He didn't need a phone call to know that she'd be coming. He had sensed her presence the moment she arrived to the town's celebrations; they always had that connection between them when they were kids and it was highly beneficial now that they were vampires. The connection is only so strong when they are expecting it (like now) otherwise they could still manage to surprise one another (like what Damon managed to do in Buffalo two months ago).

After sending a wave to Elena with a smirk on his face, much to the couple's dislike, that's when he knew that she had found him. It was only a second after that realization did Damon feel a hand brush along his back just before it snaked around his waist.

"Having fun?" He heard Casey whisper from behind him before she moved to give him a sideways hug. He didn't hesitate in his movements as he snaked an arm around her shoulders, taking note of Derek's hand intertwined with her other hand.

"Now that you're here, the fun is just beginning." Damon stated with a smirk before he placed a kiss to her temple.

Casey laughed into his chest before she settled herself between her brother and boyfriend. She then turned her attention to the float that held Damon's attention just moments ago.

Through her sunglasses-covered eyes, Casey could see Elena giving off a surprised expression before she gave off a few more waves at them but it was Stefan's expression that caused Casey to smirk just like her older brother; Stefan's shocked expression quickly turned into an emotionless mask but they knew better…he was _furious_.

The hybrid snickered as she looked Stefan straight in the eye. "Hello _brother_."

Stefan only growled at the greeting which caused the two older Salvatores to snicker. Those snickers easily turned to a few chuckles when they noticed that Elena was now giving Stefan a confused look. There was no doubt in Damon and Casey's mind that the human had heard her boyfriend growl.

Derek silently rubbed circles over Casey's palm as he watched the float continue its course. He couldn't help the feeling that someone's eyes were burning into his head as he watched the parade. He knew it wasn't due to Casey or Damon because they seemed to be focused on the float yet the vibe still irked him. He gave Casey's hand a tight squeeze which grabbed both the vampires' attentions.

"Someone's watching us." The human stated nonchalantly but Casey could tell that her boyfriend didn't like the unwanted attention. Usually he was all for it but she figured that in a place like Mystic Falls, you never want to draw attention to yourself unless it was necessary.

Casey continued with her stare off with Stefan while Damon turned to only come face to face with a confused Bonnie who was standing a few feet behind them.

"What do you want?" Bonnie harshly questioned with a scowl as she tried to hide her confusion. When she had seen the mystery girl approach Damon, she rolled her eyes as she pitied her for falling for the vampire's trap but she was stunned by the greeting that the _evil_ vampire had given to her. The witch's eyes widened even further when Damon had placed his arms around her after she had seen the hand holding between the two new arrivals. _Typical, he'll just take anyone he wants no matter who they're with. _She thought angrily before he turned around and faced her.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Just watching the parade." He flippantly stated with his arm still around Casey; the couple didn't bother to interrupt after getting the vibe that whoever was behind them didn't like Damon that much.

Bonnie rolled her eyes before she turned to get away from the vampire. She didn't want to be anywhere near him when he started using that girl and her boyfriend.

"Wait here." Damon whispered quickly before he went after Bonnie. "Where are you going?" He called out to the annoying witch as he felt Casey and Derek's eyes on him. He knew they'd intervene shortly so he had to say what he needed to say before they did. He knew he wasn't going to actively seek out the witch later so he might as well get the conversation over and done with.

"Away from you." Bonnie called back over her shoulder as she tried to get through the crowd (yet with no such luck).

"I wanna say something to you." The vampire called back, which caught the witch's attention.

Bonnie sighed. "Just leave me alone." She stated as she turned to glare at him. With all her attention focused on the vampire, she didn't realize that the couple was slowly approaching them.

"Thank you." Damon said in a rush, hoping that Bonnie wouldn't make a run for it again. When he noticed that her stunned expression managed to keep her rooted to her spot, he continued as he moved closer to her; "The device that Emily spelled could have killed me. I don't take what you did lightly so…thank you."

Bonnie shook her head a bit in hopes that the shock would leave her before she looked skeptically at the vampire. "I did it for Elena."

Damon nodded. "I know that but I'm still very grateful and…I owe you." No matter how much he hated the witch, he knew that he did owe her.

Nothing more was said as her brown eyes stared into his blue ones as they each tried to figure the other out. He only broke the contact first when he felt his sister brush her hand along his arm.

"Damon, you ready to go?" Casey innocently questioned even though she was anxious for some answers.

Damon nodded his head, knowing that answering his sister's questions sooner rather than later was always a smart move in his book. For as long as he could remember, she always hated dragging answers out of people.

Casey's smile brightened at her brother before she turned to the teenager she now knew was a witch; not just by Damon's words she overheard but by the presence she was getting from the girl. "Hi, I'm Casey and this is my boyfriend Derek." She introduced with an outstretched hand while her boyfriend just gave the girl a head nod.

"Bonnie…nice to meet you." The witch said just as she took Casey's hand in a shake. She had to hold in the gasp when a few images assaulted her mind like a fast moving montage. All she could gather from it was that Casey was a vampire and that she was _very_ close with Damon.

The witch was too consumed in the images she was absorbing that she never noticed the hybrid's bright smile turn into a smirk.

Not only was Casey able to acquire a few key _power_ moments from Bonnie's mind during their hand shake but the hybrid was also feeding the witch quite a few misleading images about her…and Damon. Either way, Bonnie had no clue of Casey's witch heritage (just like everyone else).

With a silent laugh, Casey pulled out of the hand shake first as Bonnie looked between the two vampires with a wide-eyed expression.

Derek and Damon found the exchange quite amusing yet they still didn't want to stick around much longer.

"Enjoy the parade Bennett." Damon stated to the stunned witch before he ushered the couple through the crowd.

The trio were on the outskirts of the parade crowd before either of them decided to speak.

"So that was Bon-Bon Bennett?" Derek questioned just after he heard his aunt introduce the football team over the PA system. The nickname came to him because he remembered that Bonnie Bennett loved her sweets and bon-bons just happened to be her favorite (she always had some on her at all times).

The Salvatores laughed as they turned to face the human, stopping them all in their tracks. "Do you have a nickname for everyone here?" Casey questioned Derek lightheartedly as she remembered the nickname that he dubbed Elena with in his childhood; Little 'Lena.

Derek smirked. "Possibly." He stated mischievously but he decided that he wasn't going to reveal them…yet.

Damon snickered. "Yeah that's her; a judgy pain in my ass is what she is."

"Thought so." Casey mumbled but that just earned her a mock glare from her brother; the hybrid just smiled right back at him.

Damon rolled his eyes as closed the distance between him and Casey as it now looked like he was towering over her. "While we're on the subject of Miss Judgy, did you get a reading on her or did she get one from you?"

Casey's smile immediately turned into a mischievous smirk as she went for one of Damon's hands. Once she uncrossed his arms and intertwined their hands together, her eyes started to darken before Damon's eyes before his mind was assaulted with the images that Casey had given Bonnie earlier.

He didn't know whether to laugh his ass off or to feel disgusted but he definitely had to hand it to his sister; she was deviously clever.

He was always worried when she would come across another witch because one touch was all they needed to get a feel of the creature they just met and since vampire compulsion can't work on witches, they couldn't control what the witches were seeing in that one moment of contact. Thankful, Casey had managed to bypass that little kink since the very beginning so she was able to give off whatever images she wanted to without the witch even suspecting any form of foul play being present…which is exactly what she did with Bonnie. Not only did Casey hide her true identity as a witch and as Damon's sister but she sent some flashes of her and Damon throughout time when people would have _assumed_ that they were something more (which wasn't uncommon for them since they rarely revealed that they were siblings in order to keep each other safe). The hybrid even went as far as fabricating a scene that left little to the imagination of what would have transpired next.

When Casey let go of Damon's hands, the images immediately faded from his mind. He shook his head a few times before he looked at the giggling hybrid as she quickly showed Derek the same set of images once they held hands again.

After a few false starts, Damon finally managed to put some words together. "Was that last one really necessary?" He stated, commenting on the last set of images that would have no doubt have Bonnie thinking that Damon and Casey had _slept_ together. Even though Damon knew that Casey had just edited a few of their separate memories into one to create the fabricated moment, he really couldn't blame Bonnie for the assumption (which would match up with her shocked expression earlier) since he would believe it too if he weren't part of the mash-up to begin with.

Casey shrugged yet her amused expression never faltered. "It'll keep her mind reeling that's for sure."

Derek laughed as he pulled Casey into his arms before he kissed her temple. Its been awhile since he's seen her so carefree what with her keeping up appearances as a Queens student, helping him out with his studies and the little extra time she has, she spends it on researching the connection between Katherine and Elena, his girlfriend has barely had any real time to breathe.

"Most definitely." Damon voiced his agreement as he smirked at the couple's open affection towards each other.

"Oh before I forget, I have a question for you." Casey said as she twirled around in Derek's arms so that she had her back to his chest with her attention completely on Damon.

Damon shrugged as part of his attention remained on the crowd around him. "Shoot."

"Why didn't you tell me about the Gilbert device the moment you had it?" She whispered with her eyebrow arched in a questioning way. Since it was one of the first images that Casey had gotten off of Bonnie, she could only assume that the memory was pretty recent.

Damon sighed as he ran one of his hands through his black hair. "Derek could you…?" He trailed off as he looked to the human who was still wrapped around the vampire's sister.

"He can stay and hear this if he wants." Casey protested when she felt Derek's grip around her loosen.

Derek shook his head. He knew it wasn't his place to intervene. Although he appreciated that Casey wanted to include him because whatever affects her does affect him too but he knew that this was a conversation that should only be heard between the immortal siblings; no human ears allowed for the time being.

"It's fine Case." Derek stated as he slowly turned Casey back around to face him. "This is something that needs to be between the two of you first. You can fill me in later if you want and besides…I think I'll say hi to my cousin before my aunt finds out that I'm in town." He explained and when he mentioned seeing his cousin, Derek gestured to the scene behind Damon where Tyler's float was being cleared off.

Casey slowly nodded, seeing his point before she kissed his cheek. He told her that he'd text his location to her later before he headed towards Tyler, patting Damon's shoulder along the way.

When Derek's footsteps were far enough away, Damon took that as his cue to start the conversation back up again. "So where were we?"

"I don't know, apparently _a lot_ has happened in two months." Casey retorted a bit harshly as she crossed her arms over her chest as her hip popped out with all her weight on her back leg.

Damon sighed. "Casey…"

"Why didn't you call me when you got the tomb open?" Casey whispered with a glare at Damon but he could see passed her glare and he didn't like it; he could see the sadness in her sapphire eyes and it was because of him.

He couldn't deal with tomb-talk, he knew he'd have to talk about it with her but he _couldn't_ bring himself to do it now. "Can we not talk about that now? I thought you wanted to know about the device." He stated in a bit of a rush but he remembered to keep his voice down so that only she could hear their conversation.

Casey huffed. "Fine but that doesn't mean we're dismissing that conversation Damon."

The vampire nodded. "I know." He knew since they were kids that if she wanted to know something, she'll find her answers somehow; it was just easier to tell her when she asks him rather than for her to jump through all those metaphorical hoops.

"Okay, just so we're clear."

"We are."

The hybrid inhaled deeply as she readied herself for this new threatening intel. "Alright, tell me what you know about the Gilbert device."

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

The farther away he got from his girlfriend and her vampire brother, the closer Derek got to seeing his cousin again since his parents got divorced when he was fourteen. He still couldn't believe it's been eight years since he's stepped foot into Mystic Falls yet here he was for the 150th celebration.

He could immediately tell which one of the guys dressed as confederate soldiers was his cousin. Tyler didn't seem to change much; it just looked like he had packed on a few muscles over the years. That was plainly obvious when compared to the guy standing next to him; the guy wasn't scrawny but he wasn't like Derek's cousin.

"You know Lockwood I gotta say, I was surprised when I didn't see your former scrawny ass in the parade." Derek greeted with a smirk as he approached them, grabbing both Tyler and his buddy's attention.

Tyler Lockwood did a double take when he found the owner of the voice, who had their eyes covered with a pair of sunglasses. "Derek?"

Derek laughed as he removed his shades. "Surprise."

"Dude, what are you doing here?" Tyler questioned after he and Derek did one of those manly one arm hugs before patting each other on the shoulder. They both didn't do hugs but they let it slide since it's been years since they've seen one another.

Derek shrugged as he placed his shades back to where they belonged; it was too sunny to have them anywhere else. "I came for the celebration."

The triple varsity athlete scoffed at his cousin. "Last I heard, you hated history." Tyler quipped as he remembered all the complaints Derek had in the past about school being so boring and that he only went to score some dates with the female students.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Yeah well I've grown a newfound…appreciation for it." He stated as he suppressed a smile as he thought about _who_ had given him the new insight when it came to learning. After all, knowledge is power and Derek hates feeling powerless.

Tyler's brow arched a little skeptically. "Is that so?"

The hockey player smirked as he refused to say anything else before his attention shifted to the guy that Tyler was standing with before he showed up.

Tyler felt like smacking his head when he realized that it wasn't just him and his cousin standing there. "Oh uh Derek, you remember Jeremy right?" Tyler introduced while silently berating himself for his rudeness. Tyler and Jeremy may not be on the best of terms right now (the only reason they were even talking to each other was because of the pairing that Mr. Saltzman had given them for their parade participation) but he was taught to have some manners that seemed to have slipped his mind when he realized his 'long lost cousin' had returned.

It didn't take long for Derek to make the connection when it came to Jeremy's identity. "I think so…Elena's brother right?" He questioned as he offered his hand out for a shake. He remembered Elena mentioning a Jeremy when they were catching up two months ago but after a few things Casey had discovered about Elena, Derek couldn't help but wonder if Jeremy was truly related to the brunette.

Jeremy accepted Derek's hand as he gave him a firm shake. "Yeah…good to see you Derek." He said as he slowly remembered the guy before him. He was only a small boy at the time but he could remember the teenager that used to hang around during his short visits.

"Likewise." Derek smirked as he pulled his hand back before looking between the two still donned in their confederacy uniforms. "So do you want to catch up over some food because I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

Tyler laughed. "You okay with the Grill?"

Derek swung a friendly arm over his cousin's shoulder. "Who's _not_ okay with the Grill?" He quipped which earned him a few chuckles from the teenagers. "But you need to get out of that thing man."

That reminder just caused the teenagers to laugh as they had forgotten that they were even in uniform at the moment. They quickly headed back to the school so that Tyler and Jeremy could get changed and get their uniforms back to where they belonged (since everyone was assigned a 'parade partner', they both had to sign to say that both uniforms was returned) before they headed for the grill.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

Casey sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "You should have destroyed it yourself when you had the chance." She stated at a volume that only Damon could hear after he had caught her up with the recent events that were brought on by Isobel's return. He had to divert her away from any details pertaining to siring-Isobel before they truly got off the topic of the Gilbert device and the hybrid let him. For now.

Damon groaned but he couldn't exactly disagree with her. He _really_ wanted to destroy that device when he first figured out what it was made to do. "Isobel was threatening _my_ cover as well as the town Case, I had to hand it over…she just doesn't know that it's been deactivated." He explained with a shrug, hoping that the reason seemed plausible to her.

Casey gave Damon a knowing stare as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't you the one that sired Isobel?" She questioned, knowing that Damon had no problems taking out vampires that threatened him or her. So why was this different? She knew she'd have to ask more about but for now the basic Isobel intel was all she wanted.

"I am." Damon sighed; already knowing where her line of thinking was headed just by the use of her argumentative tone.

"Then you could have _easily_ staked her Damon and the threat would have been eliminated and you'd still have the device." She pointed out sternly as her stare hardened behind her sunglasses, noticing the cringe that Damon couldn't hide when she stated what he should have done. She was pissed and Damon knew it. Not only had he prolonged his risk (and not tell her about it) but he let the enemy walk away with a device that could easily incapacitate them.

Damon glared right back at his sister; he got why she was pissed but he still didn't like how she was bringing it up. He screwed up and he knew that. "It's not that simple. Usually I _would_ of without question but the fact that Isobel is Elena's biological mother put a kink into that plan." He argued back as if he were grasping at straws.

Casey gave Damon a skeptical look as her hands moved to her hips. "So it's because of _Elena_ and not because Isobel is just another link to _Katherine_…?" She questioned after linking the pieces together, hoping to get more insight on where exactly her brother's thoughts landed when it came to the supernatural twins.

Damon did everything he could to _not_ look at Casey after that and his silence was enough of an answer for her, even though Damon had no clue _what_ answer he was going for.

Casey sighed as her expression softened due to her brother's obvious confusion. "I see but that still doesn't solve our situation."

That statement, no matter how softly put, pulled Damon's attention right back to Casey. "What situation? I told you that I had everything taken care of."

Casey sighed once again as the images she acquired from Bonnie popped back into her mind. "You did except you _never_ considered the possibility of being betrayed along the way."

"What do you mean?" Damon questioned as he tried to keep his anger under control. He usually thought of everything when it came to his plans so to know that he missed something stumped and enraged the vampire.

The hybrid waited, hoping that her brother would figure out the source of the betrayal on his own but when he continued to give her a quizzical look, she caved. "The spell is still active Damon, Bonnie _lied_." Casey said with a grimace as she took Damon's hand to show him the images of Bonnie performing the deactivation spell. The difference with this viewing and the original he experienced was that Casey was able to pinpoint what was wrong with it to begin with.

_She _knew from the outcome of that spell alone that _no_ deactivation spell took place in that moment.

And that realization pissed Damon Salvatore off even more.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

As the festivities continued in the Mystic Falls town square, two separate meetings were taking place.

On the edge of town in an abandoned building, the remaining tomb vampires were gathered as they went over their plan to attack the founding family members. They were to mingle in the crowd until the fireworks begin which is when they would exact their revenge. Exposure didn't matter to these vampires, they would happily massacre the town for trapping them in that tomb but all they cared about was killing the descendents of the ones who had wronged them back in 1864.

Meanwhile in the late Grayson Gilbert's medical clinic, John Gilbert and Mayor Richard Lockwood were gathered to discuss their plan to round up the tomb vampires during their suspected attack that night. With John's confirmation from one of the tomb vampires, he knew it would be the perfect time to use the Gilbert device to weed the vampires out of the crowd while it emitted its high pitch frequency that no human could hear. Any vampire within a five mile radius of the device would be rendered immobile due to the brain-pain the frequency would bring them which would give the town's officers enough time to inject vervain into the fallen and bring them back to the abandoned medical clinic.

Their plan will not fail; all the vampires will die by the end of the night.

_All _of them.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

After some coaxing by his sister, Damon was levelheaded enough to not run around town looking for John Gilbert or Bonnie Bennett. He knew that Isobel would have given the device to John since they both seemed to want the thing so since the vampire left town, the hated Gilbert would be his next option to search for the device. Every bone in his body wanted him to search for the threat against them and eliminate it immediately but Casey said that they couldn't. Since the sun was still up, Casey had reasoned that they still had time before John did anything against them. They didn't know when he would use the device but with everyone out and about around town, it would be difficult to find John alone while he was in town.

Damon didn't like sitting on his ass like Casey suggested but after she got a text from Derek telling her that he's at the Grill with Tyler and Jeremy, it gave the Salvatore siblings a reason to head on over there. Even if they planned on doing something, they couldn't leave Derek alone and in the dark about it.

By the time the immortals entered the Grill, their calm demeanors were in place as they headed for the bar. They didn't need to say anything but they both knew that the other needed a drink. After receiving their shots and downing them fast, they both scanned the crowd for Derek. It didn't take long for them to find the human nestling a drink in his hands as he watched his cousin make his shot in their pool game; baby Gilbert was seated a few tables away, eating his food as he watched the game from a far.

Before either vampire made a move, their eyes snapped to the entrance of the Grill as they could feel Elena's presence approaching the doors. Sure enough, the brunette walked through the doors as she still had her hair curled yet she was back to wearing her usual clothes.

It only took one look between the immortals before they separated to their intended targets; Casey to Derek and Damon to Elena.

"I like you better like this. The period look, it…didn't suit you." Damon told Elena as he stepped into her path.

Elena's brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what the vampire meant. "Is that an insult?" She questioned as the thought of Katherine came to mind.

Damon was taken back a bit as he was surprised that she would outright ask him that. "Actually Elena, it is a compliment of the highest order." He stated seriously, hoping the truth in his statement came through. She and Katherine may look identical yet it didn't seem _right_ that Elena would be seen in the clothes that Katherine once wore.

Elena sighed gratefully before a small smile appeared on her lips. She shouldn't let his words affect her but on some level they did and at that moment, she felt great with the thought that Damon had separated the idea of her and Katherine being the same person from one another. She had been worried since she put that period dress on that morning that she'd resemble Katherine a lot more that day than she'd like.

Elena shook her head of the thoughts before she returned her attention back to Damon. She figured now would be the best time to clear some things up with him. "Look, I know Stefan is worried about our…friendship."

"Did he mention something to you too?" Damon questioned with a smirk. He wasn't surprised that Stefan would bring it up to Elena after all the side talks he's been pulling Damon into about the subject. It's like reverse psychology never crossed Stefan's mind because telling Damon to do something usually meant that he was going to do the opposite just to piss Stefan off.

"No, did he mention something to you?" Elena asked as she tried to reign her surprise her. _What did Stefan tell Damon?_

Damon shrugged. "No, nothing worth repeating." He stated with a smirk on his face. He was stunned by her surprise but he was pleased that she at least knew now that Stefan has spoken to Damon about their _friendship_.

Elena took a moment to process that before she continued. She wasn't going to back down now that she's gotten the conversation onto this particular topic. "So, I think you should stop with the flirty little comments and that eye thing that you do."

"What eye thing?" Damon questioned with a smirk before he did the very eye thing that she was talking about.

Elena tilted her head to the side, clearly not amused.

Damon chuckled with his smirk still plastered on his face.

"Don't make me regret being your friend okay?" Elena stated softly before she looked to her side to come across Jeremy finishing off his food. Damon gave Elena a nod to go to her brother while he masked the hurt he felt by her words. _Would she really drop me as a friend?_

The vampire watched as the brunette approached her brooding brother yet he wasn't startled when he heard Casey's voice in his head.

"_Penny for your thoughts?" _He could hear the concern in her voice and when he shifted his attention towards her, he could see her looking at him while she stood by Derek's side as he waited for his turn once again.

Damon gave her a small smile before he projected his answer to her mind. _"Maybe later." _He stated before his attention zoned in on the Gilbert siblings' unsuccessful conversation. Elena wasn't having much luck getting through to Jeremy and while Damon understood why baby Gilbert was being so cold towards his sister, he still didn't like the rejected look Elena was sporting as she watched Jeremy walk away from her.

The perplexed look turned into one of determination as Damon looked between a broken Elena and the Grill's entrance. He _had_ to do something. He knew what it felt like to fight with a sibling and if the human was feeling anything of what Damon felt when he and Casey had one of their fights then he _had_ to fix whatever the problem was between the Gilberts…especially when he's part of the problem.

"_I know that look Damon, what are you up to?_" Casey projected right back to her brother once she noticed the shift in his demeanor from across the room.

Damon quickly turned to face Casey before he winked her way. "_Nothing bad, I promise._" He stated as he made his way out to catch up to Jeremy.

Casey sighed before she excused herself from Derek and Tyler. She had a feeling that Damon might need her assistance.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

Jeremy made his way through the crowd that was gathering through the town square. He figured that if he was in a crowd then there would be a less of a chance of Elena trying to confront him since there would be in no doubt another argument between them. She hated when she drew in the public's attention for situations like that so he was hoping to use that pet peeve of hers to his advantage.

The teenager silently groaned to himself when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand the further into the crowd he got. He knew he was being followed and that just pissed him off a bit more. How much more does he have to do to get her to back off of him?

"I have so many emotions but I don't have any way to express them." His follower mocked and the words surprised Jeremy until it registered who exactly was following him.

Damon.

"Being a teenager is so hard!" Damon continued to mock as he got closer to Jeremy.

"You're a dick!" Jeremy shot back angrily without missing a beat.

Damon rolled his eyes. _Teenagers. _"You do not talk to me like that! I'm not your sister and from now on…" The vampire trailed off just before he grabbed Jeremy's arm and tugged him backwards so that they were face to face, "…don't talk to your sister that way either." He finished with no trace of mockery in his tone.

Jeremy knew he meant business but that didn't stop him from butting back. "So, you're going to kill me just 'cause I hurt Elena's feelings?" He taunted as he remembered all the things that Damon had done, curtsy of Elena's journal.

Damon's eyes narrowed. "Cut her some slack."

Jeremy gave the vampire an incredulous look. "She erased my memories."

"No, _I_ did! She was protecting you." Damon argued back as he tried to repress the memories of him and Casey that seemed to parallel the situation between Elena and Jeremy. The difference being the mere fact that Damon was being cold toward Casey after she warned him to stay away from Katherine back when they were human.

Jeremy took a small step back. "It wasn't her call to make." He calmly stated before he turned to walk away only to find his path blocked by the very girl that he had seen Derek with moments ago in the Grill.

"Would you rather have those memories Jeremy?" Casey questioned as she added her opinion into the conversation.

"How'd you…weren't you…?" Jeremy rambled on as he looked between Casey and the Grill. When he was first introduced to her, he thought she was just some cool chick that Derek managed to snag as his girlfriend but when he caught a glimpse of the smirk now plastered on Damon's face, he knew that his first assessment of the girl was completely off. "You're like him aren't you?" He questioned the black haired beauty as he gestured towards the vampire that stood behind him.

Casey shrugged. "I could be…or I could be more like Anna." She innocently stated, hoping that Jeremy would take the tiny bait that could get her into his good graces. She had gotten a brief sneak peek of Anna from when she shook Jeremy's hand back at the Grill.

Jeremy's interest perked up at the name of his vampire _friend_. "You know Anna?"

Damon rolled his eyes as he stepped closer to Jeremy. "Who do you think turned her?" He whispered into the mortal's ear, missing the fact that Jeremy now had a stunned look directed at Casey.

Casey sighed as she took a step forward; indirectly making Jeremy participate in a Salvatore sandwich. "Actually her mom did but now that we have that out of the way its time for you to answer my question…would you rather have those memories back? Do you really want to feel all that pain again?" She corrected in a rush before Jeremy spouted off more questions about Anna.

Jeremy hesitated before he repeated himself once again. "He shouldn't have made me forget in the first place."

Damon groaned once again as he found the urge to shake some sense back into baby Gilbert. "I was doing you a favor."

Jeremy turned to glare at Damon which caused the vampire to take a step back since they would be standing _too_ close to one another. "That was not your call or Elena's call for that matter."

"She was just looking out for you Jeremy; you can't fault her on that." Casey softly added in, hoping that he'd maybe listen to an outsider of the situation.

That didn't turn out to be the case when Jeremy turned his glare onto Casey. "And how would you know? You don't even know me or Elena!" He shot back, not even caring if he drew attention to them in the process. He was just getting sick and tired of people telling him to forgive Elena. If he was ever going to forgive his sister, he would do it when he was damn well ready to do it.

"Is everything alright here?" Stefan asked as he walked up to the group, stepping into place between his brother and his girlfriend's brother. He was on his way to meet Elena at the Grill when he spotted Damon and Jeremy arguing. He didn't even acknowledge the fact that Casey was there as well since he's been trying to convince himself that it wasn't _her_ that he saw in the crowd earlier.

"Everything's _fine_ Stefan." Damon declared through gritted teeth, his eyes still focused between Jeremy and Casey. Casey didn't even look in Stefan's direction since she was focused on Jeremy but she could feel Damon's eyes on her.

Ignoring his brother's words, Stefan turned to Jeremy as he gave him a glance over to see that there were no injuries. "Are you alright?" He asked once he was satisfied that there was no harm done to the human.

Jeremy nodded his head. "Yeah." Damon and Casey rolled their eyes at his cooperation.

Stefan nodded before he looked back at a glaring Damon. "Look, what my brother is trying to say is don't blame Elena for this. Damon turned Vicki, I killed her. She was a threat to you and she was a threat to your sister. I'm sorry that it happened, I wish that it hadn't." The youngest vampire stated calmly as he tried to get Jeremy to understand.

Jeremy and Casey watched as Damon's glare to Stefan's head turned into a slightly guilty expression before it morphed into a mask; all in the span of Stefan's little speech.

The mortal looked between the brothers before he repeated his argument once again. "He still shouldn't have made me forget." He declared before he turned to walk away from the three vampires, knowing that they were watching him as he went.

When the human was out of earshot, the conversation started up again.

"I forgot how much your timing truly _sucks_ Stefan." Casey quipped with an eye roll as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Ignoring her comment, Stefan turned to glare at Damon. "What do you think you're doing?" Damon only gave his brother an amused expression (because of Casey's comment) before Stefan turned to Casey. "Or better yet, what the hell are _you_ doing here?" He sneered as he remained between Damon and Casey.

Casey scoffed. "It's a free country Stef, I can go anywhere I please." She wasn't expecting any other reaction from Stefan but a girl could dream couldn't she? She thought that he'd maybe be somewhat nicer to her after not seeing her since before her wedding 151 years ago.

Stefan's eyes narrowed as he slowly closed the distance between him and Casey. "You're supposed to be dead."

Damon growled as he rushed to put himself between them. "Watch it Stefan." He warned his brother as he took a protective stance in front of his sister.

Casey put a grateful hand on Damon's back as she looked to Stefan with a disbelieving expression. "I see you haven't changed; you still want nothing to do with your sister."

"You're not my sister!" Stefan angrily protested back as he tried to rein his anger in. The sudden rage seemed to shock himself since he thought he'd put his issues with Casey behind him but it looks like seeing her again has brought them all back and he didn't like that notion one bit.

Casey released a humorless laugh. "_Our_ blood says otherwise."

Stefan rolled his eyes as he shifted his gaze to Damon, who was watching Stefan like a hawk. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked not as harshly as he tried to calm himself again.

Damon gave his brother an incredulous look. "Why should I? Would it have changed things?" He questioned even though he already knew the answer; Stefan's silence just confirmed it.

When it was clear that the youngest brother wasn't going to refute his brother's assumption, Damon rolled his eyes as he blindly grabbed Casey's hand.

"I didn't think so." Damon stated with a disgusted look before he turned to walk away from Stefan as Casey's hand was still in his.

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN #3: **And there you have it? So what do you think? Were you expecting Casey to show up? Were you expecting to learn some things that came with it...like when it comes to Casey/Stefan? **Tell me what you think in a review...please! =D **[Next chapter is part 2 of Founder's Day!]**  
><strong>

**A/N #4: ****SPOILER ALERT for VD's 3x19; **my heart was racing during the Delena kiss! It's been 3 years for us viewers (yet 1.5yrs for Delena) but we've finally got a kiss where both Damon and Elena reciprocated the kiss at the same time! I have to say it was fantastic and the music made it all the more magical! Aside from Delena themselves, Rose made me love her more when she took the role of Delena-fans when it came to explaining it to Jeremy at the end!

**A/N#5: ****SPOILER ALERT for VD's 3x20; **I was crying (just a bit) at the end with all the goodbyes! Then to have Damon stay with Alaric until he fell asleep…why do all of Damon's friends have to die (in one form or the other)? I can't wait for the next episode!

* * *

><p><strong>Originally Published: <strong>April 27, 2012


	8. Ch 8: Founder's Day Pt 2

"**A Journey To Find A Lost Soul"**

**Chapter 8: Founder's Day (Part 2)**

**A/N #1: **Oh look, I'm updating so soon! Don't worry; I'm just as shocked as you all are since I wrote this all up yesterday. It may not be as long as my usual ones and I may have skimmed over a lot when compared to the last chapter but my muse wanted me to write this chapter this way so I just went with it. The fact that it was also my birthday yesterday seemed like a great motivator as well. ;D

**A/N #2: **I just want to say thank you so much for everyone that is still reading this story, it truly means a lot to me and I'm excited to see where the changes in this chapter will take these characters next. Once again, enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own _Vampire Diaries_ or _Life With Derek_. They belong to their respective owners (I thank them for creating them in the first place). Recognizable dialogue comes from VD episode _'Founder's Day'._

* * *

><p><strong>Full<strong> **Summary**: Instead of visiting a dear friend alone, Damon takes along Elena just when a rogue vampire flips her car over [1x11]. As time goes on, Damon learns that it might not be Katherine that he needs in order to gain what he's missed most in the world. Will Damon finally get the ending he's been waiting for since he turned or are there just too many obstacles for him to handle? [Crossover yet VD-centric]

**Remember: **For _Vampire Diaries_, this is right after the episode where Elena sleeps with Stefan for the first time just before finding out that she's an exact physical replica to Katherine Pierce.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Vampire Diaries <strong>_**Timeline: **starts off at the beginning of Episode #1x11 – 'Bloodlines' (with focus only on Damon and Elena)

_**Life With Derek **_**Timeline****: **AU (due to specific changes) but it takes place when Casey and Derek (21 – 4th Year) are at Queen's University

* * *

><p><strong>LAST TIME:<strong>

When the human was out of earshot, the conversation started up again.

"I forgot how much your timing truly _sucks_ Stefan." Casey quipped with an eye roll as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Ignoring her comment, Stefan turned to glare at Damon. "What do you think you're doing?" Damon only gave his brother an amused expression (because of Casey's comment) before Stefan turned to Casey. "Or better yet, what the hell are _you_ doing here?" He sneered as he remained between Damon and Casey.

Casey scoffed. "It's a free country Stef, I can go anywhere I please." She wasn't expecting any other reaction from Stefan but a girl could dream couldn't she? She thought that he'd maybe be somewhat nicer to her after not seeing her since before her wedding 151 years ago.

Stefan's eyes narrowed as he slowly closed the distance between him and Casey. "You're supposed to be dead."

Damon growled as he rushed to put himself between them. "Watch it Stefan." He warned his brother as he took a protective stance in front of his sister.

Casey put a grateful hand on Damon's back as she looked to Stefan with a disbelieving expression. "I see you haven't changed; you still want nothing to do with your sister."

"You're not my sister!" Stefan angrily protested back as he tried to rein his anger in. The sudden rage seemed to shock himself since he thought he'd put his issues with Casey behind him but it looks like seeing her again has brought them all back and he didn't like that notion one bit.

Casey released a humorless laugh. "_Our_ blood says otherwise."

Stefan rolled his eyes as he shifted his gaze to Damon, who was watching Stefan like a hawk. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked not as harshly as he tried to calm himself again.

Damon gave his brother an incredulous look. "Why should I? Would it have changed things?" He questioned even though he already knew the answer; Stefan's silence just confirmed it.

When it was clear that the youngest brother wasn't going to refute his brother's assumption, Damon rolled his eyes as he blindly grabbed Casey's hand.

"I didn't think so." Damon stated with a disgusted look before he turned to walk away from Stefan as Casey's hand was still in his.

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Founder's Day (Wednesday February 24, 2010):<strong>

After their little run in with Stefan, Damon and Casey spend the rest of the afternoon wandering the town as they talked about anything and everything that's happened over the years they've been separated; anything emotional about Katherine was left out for another day and Damon was grateful for that. At times Damon would point out any differences that were in the town since the last time they were both there and Casey enjoyed it. She would exchange texts with Derek throughout the day and even though she wished she could spend the celebration with her boyfriend _and_ her brother, she knew it was best that he hung out with his cousin (as she did the same with her brother) while they were in town. They could always make up their separation when they got back to Queens.

It wasn't until night fall that things started to pick up as both vampires became tense with each passing second as more ideas started to form in their heads. With Damon's retelling of the events since discovering the tomb vampires' return, they both theorized that if there were a time for them to attack then tonight would be the night since the whole town's population was out on the streets as they enjoyed the celebration. Who needed an invitation during an event like that?

With that thought in mind, Damon and Casey decided to get the hell away from the town square since they knew the device was still activated. Damon wanted to find John but Casey disagreed with the notion that there was a high chance that the Gilbert device would be used if John knew about the attack (which was very likely due to Henry, his tomb source that Alaric recently killed with Damon). After a few more arguments, the vampires split up; Casey went to retrieve Derek while Damon went to search for Stefan and Elena.

Before Damon could make a move to find Stefan, he was approached by Anna. She confirmed that there was going to be an attack on the founding family members when the fireworks start. He wasn't surprised by the news but he was somewhat relieved for the confirmation as his actions would be for nothing. With that thought, Damon told Anna to leave town immediately before he went in search of Alaric. Little did Damon know, Anna wasn't going to leave town without knowing that Jeremy was safe from the attack.

After warning Alaric, Damon found the laughing couple and in less than fifteen words, he burst their happy bubble by telling them to go home immediately. Damon took off before either of them could ask him anymore questions.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

Casey just got to Derek when Mayor Lockwood was walking away from his son. Tyler was confused by his father's request but he, Matt and Caroline left the Grill while Derek relayed the encounter to his girlfriend as they headed for his car.

"Vampires are attacking tonight?" Derek questioned after Casey had given him the short version of what she learned as well as her thoughts on the mayor's actions.

Casey gave him a grim nod as the sounds of the fireworks filled the air. "It's what we came up with. If me or Damon were in _their_ positions, we _would_ attack tonight." She explained before she stumbled in her steps, grateful that the car was close enough for her to grab it without anyone realizing that something was wrong with her.

Derek was instantly by her side when he saw her stumble. "What's wrong?" He asked worriedly as he quickly checked her over.

Casey cringed as she could feel needles digging into her brain. To her the experience felt like a human migraine but she knew with the right intensity that it could cause her to immediately drop.

Casey froze at the realization before she whirled her head around to face the crowd where she saw a few officers collecting the few that had fallen.

"It's started." She whispered before she turned to a confused Derek. "It's the Gilbert device. They're using it to round up all the vampires." She concluded as she forced the pain outside of her head now that she knew where the pain was coming from. If she weren't a witch, she wouldn't be able to repel the magical attack like she could. Casey's eyes widened at the thought.

Damon. He wasn't a witch so he would have dropped like all the others no matter where he was in town.

"Der, we need to find Damon!"

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

Damon groaned when he finally came to. He could barely move as his body felt heavier than usual. It didn't take long for him to realize that he'd been vervained which led to him cursing himself for even going after John when he told Casey he wouldn't. The plan was for John to use the device to eliminate the tomb vampires while Damon and his siblings experienced the device at the boarding house (away from suspicious eyes) but Damon couldn't in his right mind let John walk away with the device that could be used against him later on. It didn't take a genius to know that John would stop at nothing until _all_ vampires in town were destroyed. The vampire didn't know what he was expecting when John activated the device, he thought maybe his body would become immobilized or something ridiculous like that…he wasn't expecting this blinding amount of pain to start within his skull. He felt the pain increase in his skull before everything went black and the next thing he knew, he was waking up in a basement.

Even in his vervained state, Damon was still coherent enough to know what was happening, which sucked when he witnessed John stake Anna before he lit the room on fire. The vampire couldn't help but feel helpless when that stake was driven into her heart as he felt the need to save her but he'd failed. He failed the girl who helped his sister out during her newborn phase and he knew that the feeling wasn't going to go away any time soon.

As he laid there on the concrete floor as the fire around him grew, Damon couldn't help but wonder if Stefan took his warning and got Elena to safety or if Casey had managed to do the same for Derek. He knew that both vampires weren't in the basement with him because he didn't feel their presence near him so he could only hope that his siblings were safe.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

While Stefan, Elena and Alaric were trying to piece together what was happening, Casey and Derek rushed to get to Damon in time.

The hybrid concentrated on Damon's mind long enough to extract a location out of him and it wasn't long before the couple were racing towards the abandoned building that belonged to the Gilberts. The closer they got to the building, the easier it was for Casey to hear the screams and the crackling of the fire's flames that were both coming from the basement.

Luckily for them, Derek knew of a utility entrance into the building; one he discovered when he was wandering the halls of the doctor's office. During one of his town visits, he had to wait for his parents when they went to see Dr. Gilbert about a sick young Edwin.

Without any argument or hesitation, Casey raced through the door while Derek stood on watch. The human knew he would only slow the hybrid down when in the building so he left the actual rescue mission to the immortal. It didn't stop him from worrying though.

Casey followed the screams until she found the door that stood between her and the flaming basement. She flung the door open only to have the fire flare up even more. She exhaled deeply as she started chanting. In seconds the flames on the stairs diminished and she was able to race down them, grab Damon and race out of there before she released the fire once again, making the flames double in size as it consumed the remaining tomb vampires.

Derek jumped a bit when he saw a blur rush passed him only for him to realize that it was Casey and a very weak Damon. With a more detailed look, Derek could tell that all of Damon's weight was being carried by Casey as she slowly placed him down a few feet from the door as they remained in the shadows.

"How long does it take for vervain to work its way out of the system?" Derek questioned as he moved to Damon's free side.

Damon was refusing all of Casey's attempts to get him to feed. Even in his weakened state, he wouldn't harm his own sister for his own gain.

"Too damn long." Casey growled out before she bit her wrist and placed the bleeding appendage near his mouth.

Damon groaned and pushed it away.

Casey tried again. "C'mon Damon drink." She pleaded when he refused a second time.

"No. I _won't_ hurt you." Damon managed to grunt out as he tried to fight his body. His brain and heart told him not to drink from her but his body's instincts were running haywire as they demanded for him to take the damn blood from her.

Casey's eyes narrowed as she looked her brother straight in the eyes. "Take my blood or I will shove it down your throat Damon! We can't have anyone see you like this." She exclaimed as she moved her wrist to his mouth once again; this time Damon didn't hesitate as his mouth latched onto her semi-healed wound. He had to open it up once again with his own teeth but the hybrid didn't mind; he needed her blood. While Damon could have easily fed from Derek, drinking from Casey would give him more of a power boast.

As she felt her blood being pulled through her wound, Casey moved her body to better fit around Damon; her free hand latched around his neck as her lips descended to his ear before she began to chant out a spell. Not only did Casey need Damon to drink her blood to gain his strength back but she needed them to be physically connected so that she could perform a protection spell on him. She chanted out a spell that would grant his mind protection against any non-Mereana magical attacks. It would give him the ability to feel an attack yet it would cause him no real harm. She never had to give him the protection before since he only associated himself with Mereana witches but that wasn't the case anymore. It seemed like Damon made many enemies while they were apart.

With all of Casey's attention being focused on Damon as he drank to replenish his strength, all Derek could do was keep a look out for the preoccupied vampires. It's only when he saw two figures fast approaching did he nudge Casey's shoulder to warn her. When he realized that it was Stefan and Bonnie, he quickly got to his feet as he blocked the two from getting near them. He could even see another figure in the distance turn the corner before it headed their way. He could only assume that it was Elena coming to join her boyfriend.

"That's close enough." Derek declared harshly as he glared directly at Stefan.

The human had met the youngest Salvatore at the Grill just after Damon and Casey had left (he and Elena ended up dropping a hello to him and Tyler before they took off to enjoy the day together as a couple) but he knew all about Stefan Salvatore and the human didn't like him one bit. His hatred had nothing to do with the fact that Stefan was a former Ripper; it had everything to do with how Stefan had treated Casey when they were human. Derek couldn't fathom how any brother would treat their sister the way Stefan had treated Casey. He would never do such things to his sister (Marti) so this human understood completely why Damon hated Stefan when it came to Casey.

"Derek." Stefan stood his ground even though he knew that he could speed pass Derek in a second but something inside him was telling him not to.

Derek didn't budge an inch. "No." He declared as he crossed his arms over his chest in an intimidating way. While Derek may look older and stronger than Stefan, they both knew that vampire strength would win if it came down to it which was unfortunate for the human.

"Derek?" The third figure questioned, drawing all attention to her. "What are you doing here? Where's Damon?" Elena questioned as she looked between the three people before her. She didn't understand why any of them weren't near Damon when he needed their help.

"I'm making sure that none of you interfere." Derek explained to Elena before he glared at Bonnie and Stefan. "It's not a secret that certain people don't like him." He sneered as he held his ground as his words seemed to have stunned the two in question.

Elena's panic increased the longer Damon wasn't in her sight. "But where's…"

"I'm right here." The velvety voice interrupted before he came out of the shadows with Casey close behind him.

Elena gasped when her eyes landed on Damon, more specifically his blood red lips (it seemed like he missed a spot when it came to erasing all evidence of his feeding) and his insanely blue eyes. While it's been known that Damon's eyes held this intense shade of blue, they seemed to have this silver shading to it and as long as Casey's blood was in his system, the shading would remain in his eyes (but no one, except Damon and Casey, would know that).

Bonnie's eyes narrowed when she noticed that Damon looked as if he were never taken hostage by the counsel. "How'd you get out of the building?"

Damon growled under his breath as he gave a menacing glare to the betraying witch. He _really_ wanted to tear her apart for her lies. "Casey got to me before the fire got too much for her to pass through." He stated before he turned to Derek. "Take Casey back to the boarding house. You can find my stash in my room or the basement; take as many as she needs. I'll be there shortly." The vampire instructed before Derek took action in taking Casey and heading towards their car. He could tell that she was a little weak from the blood loss and while he would have offered his own blood for Damon, he knew that his girlfriend would take the spot as temporary blood bag since she could restore her blood supply a lot faster than a human could.

As Damon watched the couple walk away to complete safety, his missed Stefan's gawked expression at him.

"What?"

Damon turned and glared at Stefan for his reaction. "You will not cause them any problems, do you understand me little brother?" The older brother demanded as he stood toe-to-toe with his little brother with no detectable weakness in his stance. After a few moments of an intense stare down, Stefan broke eye contact first; signaling his submission on the subject. While the encounter surprised Elena and Bonnie, Damon only smirked at the response he wanted. "Good because as long as Elena is welcomed at the boarding house, so is Casey." The vampire declared before he walked off; he had some business he needed to take care of before he returned to the boarding house.

As the vampire disappeared into the shadows, he didn't care that he was leaving three stunned people behind in his wake.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

Derek pulled up to the Salvatore Boarding house after Casey had given him a few easy directions. The human was very worried when the hybrid seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness which only pushed him to move faster as he exited his car and rushed to the passenger side to get Casey out.

After a few moments, Derek was placing Casey on one of the couches in the living room before he raced to find the basement. A few directional mistakes were made before he located the refrigerator that was filled with blood bags. He wasn't stunned by the sight since they had a similar set up back at their place in Kingston so without much thought, he grabbed a couple of bags before he headed upstairs.

He didn't waste any time in opening one up and handing it to Casey as she greedily drank from it. He watched as she drank the substance as he rubbed circles onto her lower back. It was rare for him to see Casey drink as if her life depended on it; usually she'd routinely consume blood as if she was taking some important medication but she always drank enough blood to ward off her cravings. The sight use to make him uncomfortable but he's gotten used to it over the years.

"Feeling better?" He asked after she finished her second blood bag.

Casey sighed. "Yeah. Damon needed more than I thought and with the additional chanting, my body wasn't use to it. That's all." She explained before she slowly started on her third bag. Using magic never really weakened Casey (not since she became a vampire) but performing it _while_ losing blood usually did weaken her. It didn't happen often but it's been awhile since Casey's put her body through that experience.

"Are you sure?" Derek questioned once again. The idea of Casey being weak in any way didn't bode well with him.

Casey nodded her head as she slurped the last of the blood into her mouth. "I'm fine Der. Why don't you get our bags while I freshen up?" She suggested as she motioned to the dry blood around her wrist.

Derek nodded, placed a kiss to her temple before he got up to return to his car. Casey released a happy sigh before she headed towards the downstairs restroom.

It wasn't long before the couple met up at the bottom of the stairs and Casey led them up to her concealed room as Derek carried their two bags. Due to the boarding house's age, no one would doubt that there were many secret hiding spots but what no one knew was that there was an entire hidden room in the boarding house; Casey's bedroom.

At the turn of their first century when the original Salvatore mansion was demolished, Damon and Casey had returned to Mystic Falls to oversee the construction of the boarding house. Its massive size alone didn't have people questioning space inequalities since Damon claimed that to be his secret space and his alone. And since they feared the vampire, they never disobeyed him. Since the immortal duo didn't want any living descendent with the Salvatore name to know of Casey's existence, the hybrid had concealed her bedroom like she'd done with her Mereana safe havens with its door being hidden by a hallway bookcase that was spelled to never be moved (unless Damon and/or Casey were the ones doing the moving). The barrier around her room only differed to the safe havens when it came to who was allowed access inside; only Casey, Damon and her intended soulmate (Derek) were allowed to enter as her room held many possessions that were of a personal and/or witchy use.

Like with the safe haven in Buffalo, Casey and Derek gained quick access into her bedroom which appeared to be just as spacious as Damon's bedroom (which was the closest one to hers). Casey headed straight for her bed as Derek took everything in. He was definitely impressed.

The hybrid smiled as she watched her boyfriend's amazement increase. "Do you need a tour?" She teased as she held herself up by her arms.

Derek smirked. "Maybe in the morning, I have something else in mind." He stated and before the hybrid knew it, his lips crashed onto hers; he needed physical reassurance that she was still _with_ him after they night they had.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

He didn't want to do it; he never really liked being the bearer of bad news but he knew that the kid deserved to know. And that's what he did. He told Jeremy about Anna as well as a bunch of other stuff too which was strange for the vampire but he couldn't help it. Here was a kid who lost not only his parents a little under a year ago but he also lost both women he cared deeply for. Somehow that seemed unfair and he hated to think it but Damon didn't like that he was the reason for some of Jeremy's sadness. He offered to take it away again but he refused and Damon understood that it was his choice. Sometimes it's better to forget things and other times, it's better not to. So after a few words were exchanged about vampirism, Damon left Jeremy to his thoughts...only to be confronted by Elena as he was closing the Gilbert house's front door.

Elena gave him a confused look. "What are you doing here?"

"Failed a feeble attempt of doing the right thing." Damon admitted with a grimace.

Elena's brow furrowed even more. "Which was…?"

"It's not important." Damon said with a shake of his head as he approached her. "Let me take this away." He offered before he transferred her purse and her garment bag to a patio table.

"Thank you." He heard her say before he turned to face her.

"You know, I came into this town wanting to _destroy_ it. Tonight I found myself wanting to _protect_ it." He confessed as he fiddled with his ring before he turned to face a perplexed brunette. "How does that happen?" He questioned as he tried to figure out the answer for himself. He was the type to do what he wanted or when he wanted to without a care in the world. If it had nothing to do with Casey and her descendants, it was safe to say that he was an arrogant ass that only looked after himself.

Why did it take visiting this town to change all that for him? Why now?

Damon exhaled before Elena could say anything. "I'm not a hero, Elena. I don't do good…it's not in me."

"Maybe it is." Elena piped in with a slightly raised eyebrow.

Damon let loose a small smirk. "No, it's not. Yet no matter how many people are out to kill me, you always managed to get them to stop…" He trailed off as he took a few steps towards her, "…which means that somewhere along the way, you decided that I was worth saving and I wanted to thank you for that." He managed to get out with some difficulty. He remembered through his haze her frantic question for his location when Casey was still feeding him or when she told Stefan not to kill him because of what he had done. Yet for some reason,_ this_ teenager, after seeing him at his very worst, thought _he_ deserved to be saved.

"You're welcome." She said with a small smile as he continued to look into her eyes.

Before either of them knew it, the vampire placed a slow and gentle kiss onto the teenager's cheek. As he slowly pulled back from her, all he could think about was doing the same thing to her lips; to know for once if what he's been feeling for Elena over the last few months was something worth pursuing. He may have grown to care for Elena but was there something more brewing between them? Was it possible for him to fall for someone again after what Katherine had done to his heart?

The vampire moved very slowly as he closed the distance between them, giving her enough of a chance to pull away before his lips met hers for the very first time.

It was just gentle caress of the lips before it became something more. To an outsider if may look like things were getting heated up between these two but when in reality, the vampire was desperately kissing her to see if there was a delayed reaction since he felt _nothing_. He could kiss her all night and yet he'd feel no life-altering spark ignite within him...just like all the others. Yes he felt attracted to her, yes he could lust after her but the kiss only proved that he couldn't love her like that.

Before his theory could be further explored, they were interrupted by the front door opening, revealing a stunned Jenna. His mind was analyzing that moment to a point that he couldn't watch Elena rush to grab her things and get inside before Jenna had shut the door on him.

The vampire could only sigh as he touched his lips before he headed back home; there was his answer, there was nothing more between him and Elena. Somehow that thought saddened him.

Little did he know that the woman he just kissed, the one he felt nothing for, was none other than Katherine Pierce.

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN #3: **So what did you think? I only focused on Damon or Casey scenes but it should have been made clear which of the canon-scenes were still included (like the Elena/Stefan/Alaric brainstorm by the stairs or the Elena/John confrontation or Tyler/Caroline/Matt leaving together). What do you think of the alterations? How will they affect the story now? Please tell me what you think in a review! Have a great week everyone!

* * *

><p><strong>REMINDER: <strong>Don't forget that the **VD season finale is _this_ Thursday (May 10****th****)** followed by four relaxing yet agonizing months until we get season 4 started up (I don't think I can last 4 months of reruns with all the epic-ness the finale is supposed to leave us off with)!

* * *

><p><strong>Originally Published: <strong>May 7, 2012


	9. Ch 9: The Return Pt 1

"**A Journey To Find A Lost Soul"**

**Chapter 9: The Return (Part 1) **

**A/N #1: **Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for the delay but I wrote this chapter the day after my last exam for my summer semester (which surprised me) so I figured I'd post it before we go 2 months without an update.

**A/N #2: **Thank you everyone who's still sticking with this story! Your support means the world to me so thank you readers, reviewers, alerters and favoriters. You guys are awesome!

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own _Vampire Diaries_ or _Life With Derek_. They belong to their respective owners (I thank them for creating them in the first place). Recognizable dialogue comes from VD episode _'The Return'._

* * *

><p><strong>Full<strong> **Summary**: Instead of visiting a dear friend alone, Damon takes along Elena just when a rogue vampire flips her car over [1x11]. As time goes on, Damon learns that it might not be Katherine that he needs in order to gain what he's missed most in the world. Will Damon finally get the ending he's been waiting for since he turned or are there just too many obstacles for him to handle? [Crossover yet VD-centric]

**Remember: **For _Vampire Diaries_, this is right after the episode where Elena sleeps with Stefan for the first time just before finding out that she's an exact physical replica to Katherine Pierce.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Vampire Diaries <strong>_**Timeline: **starts off at the beginning of Episode #1x11 – 'Bloodlines' (with focus only on Damon and Elena)

_**Life With Derek **_**Timeline****: **AU (due to specific changes) but it takes place when Casey and Derek (21 – 4th Year) are at Queen's University

* * *

><p><strong>LAST TIME:<strong>

Before either of them knew it, the vampire placed a slow and gentle kiss onto the teenager's cheek. As he slowly pulled back from her, all he could think about was doing the same thing to her lips; to know for once if what he's been feeling for Elena over the last few months was something worth pursuing. He may have grown to care for Elena but was there something more brewing between them? Was it possible for him to fall for someone again after what Katherine had done to his heart?

The vampire moved very slowly as he closed the distance between them, giving her enough of a chance to pull away before his lips met hers for the very first time.

It was just gentle caress of the lips before it became something more. To an outsider if may look like things were getting heated up between these two but when in reality, the vampire was desperately kissing her to see if there was a delayed reaction since he felt _nothing_. He could kiss her all night and yet he'd feel no life-altering spark ignite within him...just like all the others. Yes he felt attracted to her, yes he could lust after her but the kiss only proved that he couldn't love her like that.

Before his theory could be further explored, they were interrupted by the front door opening, revealing a stunned Jenna. His mind was analyzing that moment to a point that he couldn't watch Elena rush to grab her things and get inside before Jenna had shut the door on him.

The vampire could only sigh as he touched his lips before he headed back home; there was his answer, there was nothing more between him and Elena. Somehow that thought saddened him.

Little did he know that the woman he just kissed, the one he felt nothing for, was none other than Katherine Pierce.

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Founder's Day (Wednesday February 24, 2010):<strong>

Damon waltzed into the Salvatore Boarding House with ease as he moved around the darkened area. He couldn't stop thinking about the kiss with Elena. The more he thought about it, the more conflicted he felt about the scenario. A part of him was relieved that he didn't feel anything more for his brother's girlfriend but the other part of him was disappointed that it wasn't Elena that he'd been looking for. He always had it in his mind that Katherine was the one he was destined to be with and that spell that Casey had cast seemed to prove that thought when it showed him being blissfully happy with Katherine. But ever since he met Elena, there was always the lingering thought that the spell could have meant for him to be happy with _her_ and not Katherine. He didn't dwell on that fact when he was still focused on releasing Katherine but as his feelings for Elena grew, he couldn't help but think of the possibility that it was Elena he was meant to be with. But that kiss on her porch seemed to disprove that.

Damon sighed as he made his way towards his trolley full of alcohol. He called out to Casey and Derek as he poured himself a drink but when he got no response, he rolled his eyes. Their car was outside so he knew they were in the boarding house somewhere but since he couldn't hear or sense them, he figured they were in Casey's spelled bedroom. She created that room to replicate the protections she had placed on the safe havens for her descendants. He always had the lingering thought of asking her to do the same for his room. It would definitely benefit him since he wouldn't have to hear Stefan and Elena's nightly activities anymore if he were in the safety of his bedroom.

A beep from his phone brought Damon's thoughts back down to the present as he quickly took the device out. He groaned when he heard the frantic message from Liz Forbes. Apparently Caroline was in critical condition at the hospital and the sheriff needed to speak to him.

_Could this night get any worse? _Damon questioned himself as he made his way upstairs.

It wasn't long before he banged against Casey's bedroom door a few times. When he got no response, he didn't hesitate in entering his blood into Casey's hidden entrance key before he was deemed access inside.

He immediately shut his eyes before he marched inside. He may have walked in on Stefan and Elena on many occasions without a care in the world but he made that mistake once with Casey and let's just say…he'd rather not repeat it. No guy wants to walk in on his little sister while she's doing something…naughty.

"Sorry to barge in but we got a problem." Damon said in a rush as he moved far enough into the room to allow the door to close.

He immediately heard a few giggles before his sister's voice replaced them. "You can open your eyes Damon, we're both fully dressed."

"Unfortunately." Derek mumbled but both vampires heard it loud and clear which caused them to laugh.

Damon slowly opened his eyes and when he saw that the couple was in fact fully clothed (yet they did look disheveled a bit) and on their bed, he gave a sigh of relief. "Oh thank heavens." He mumbled before he moved to the end of the bed as he leaned his body against the bed frame. "Anyways, I just got a message from Sheriff Forbes. Blondie is about to head into surgery. Apparently she was in some sort of accident on the way home."

Casey's eyes widened at the news but it was Derek that started sputtering out all the questions that one would ask after receiving such news. "What? When? How?"

Damon shrugged; he didn't really care about Blondie. He was only upstairs to relay the message to the couple so that they wouldn't worry about his whereabouts. He knew that after the vampire attack tonight that Casey would be worried if she didn't know where he was and vice versa. "I don't know. I didn't get much since Liz was panicking in the message. I was surprised she was even able to leave me one." He continued to explain but he couldn't help but notice that Derek was getting more pale the longer he spoke (Casey too if that was even possible). "Why are you two paler all of a sudden?" He finally asked while looking between the two of them.

"Caroline left with _Tyler_ and Matt." Casey explained while Derek continued to stare into space as if he'd gone into shock.

"Oh." Damon didn't know how to respond really. He may not like these humans but he understood why they were reacting the way they were, especially Derek.

"Did she say anything about Tyler?" Derek asked once he finally snapped out of his stupor. His mind was going crazy with scenarios of what happened to Caroline because he knew that Tyler was the one that was supposed to be taking her and Matt home. _What if Tyler's going into surgery too…or worse?_

Damon exhaled deeply as he gathered the correct words to use. "No but she might bring up Mayor Lockwood when I go in to see her." He said with a grimace that Casey immediately picked up on.

"What about the mayor?" She asked while her hand instantly moved to grip Derek's. He immediately laced their fingers together as if her hand was the only thing holding his sanity in place.

"He was in the fire. Apparently he was round up with the other vampires but the vervain didn't affect him. I'm still trying to figure that out." The eldest Salvatore explained quickly while trying to reign in his anger for the torture he felt that night alone with the device and the vervain. If he was talking to anyone else, his disgust would be obvious but he couldn't do that with Derek in the room; he wasn't that much of a jackass.

Derek couldn't believe what he was hearing. "My uncle's…dead?" He couldn't believe it. He hadn't been in Mystic Falls for a whole day yet and so much has happened. On top of the town's festivals, there was the fire that put Damon and Casey at risk and now he learns that Tyler was in a car accident and that his uncle was dead. The news still took him by surprise as it reeled through his head again. He may not have liked his uncle and he may not have been biologically related to him but he was still family. _How could he not react to the news?_

Damon's hand started to tap against the bed frame as he avoided looking at Derek. "Sorry man. One of the tomb vampires snapped his neck before you came and I was too weak to do anything."

"Oh no…Tyler." Derek stated before he turned his wide-eye glance to Casey. If he wasn't feeling too good about the news then how the hell was Tyler taking it? "Case, we have to go see him."

Casey nodded her head as she moved closer to Derek. "Okay, we'll head over there." She reassured him before she turned to her brother. "Are you heading over to the hospital now then?

Damon shrugged. "Might as well. I just came up here to tell you there was _Council_ business that needed to be discussed, what with the fire and all but I see that it's a bit more complicated than that now." He explained with the realization that the night could definitely go a lot worse. _Damn my premature rhetorical question earlier. _The vampire thought to himself before his hybrid sister broke him out of his thought.

"Isn't it always?" She stated with a small smirk as she and Derek got out of bed.

Damon groaned. "Oh don't get me started Princess." He teased before he turned serious once again. "I'll try to get more information from Liz."

Casey gave Damon a quizzical look before she shook her head. "Alright." She stated with a pat to Damon's shoulder before she retrieved her jacket and headed for the door where Derek was waiting for her.

It wasn't long before the trio left the boarding house to go their separate ways; Damon to the hospital and the couple to the Lockwood's.

*CS*DV*CS*DV*CS*DV*CS*DV*CS*DV*CS*DV*CS*DV*

It wasn't long before Derek drove up to the Lockwood estate. It wasn't as big as he remembered but then again he's grown a lot since then. Sensing his nervous attitude, Casey gave their interlocked hands a tight squeeze as they came to a stop. She would have driven but Derek had insisted that he needed the brief distraction so instead she gave him many reassurances along the way, not stopping until they reached the front door. She made it really clear to him that she wasn't going anywhere. She knew that he already knew that but he was touched by her words anyhow. He's going to need all the support he could get if he was going to handle a grieving Carol.

"Everything is going to be fine Derek." Casey whispered, their hands still interlaced, after Derek rapped on the front door a few times.

Derek sighed. "You haven't met my aunt yet."

"I'm sure she's not that bad." Casey said but when she noticed Derek's skeptical look, she backtracked her statement just a bit. "If it makes you feel better, I've probably met worse." She teased and she was pleased to see a small smile on his face.

Before Derek could respond, the front door flung wide open to reveal a flustered Carol Lockwood.

"Derek?" The older woman questioned as she looked over her nephew. She wasn't expecting him and she definitely had to do a double-take since he'd grown a lot since she had last seen him. If it were for the pictures that her sister Abby (Derek's mom) had sent her, she wouldn't have recognized the young man before her.

Derek gave his aunt a sheepish grin. "Hi Aunt Carol, I just heard about Tyler…is he alright?"

Carol was flabbergasted; this wasn't the mischievous boy she remembered from long ago. "Uh…he's a little shaken up but physically he's fine." She said as she discreetly looked between her nephew and the girl that clung to his side; she could easily see their hands interlocked together. "When did you get into town?" She asked before they caught onto her probing stare.

"During the festival. It's not every day that you could experience a town's milestone such as this. Am I right?" Derek said lightly in hopes that it would cheer the atmosphere up just a bit. He only got a slight squeeze from Casey which was enough for him.

"Right…" The older woman trailed off as her stare lingered on the girl on her nephew's arm.

Derek's eyes widened when he realized his aunt's silent question. "Oh I'm sorry, Aunt Carol this is my girlfriend Casey McDonald."

The name clicked in Carol's mind as her eyes roved over Casey, as if she was trying to find something wrong with the girl. "Your stepsister." She stated in a slight clipped tone. She remembered Abby's praise when it came to Casey during their phone calls but Carol couldn't see past the fact that Derek and Casey were stepsiblings. It didn't matter that they met when they were fifteen years old, her upbringing wouldn't allow her to see past it.

"Yeah…" Derek trailed off as he gave his aunt a quizzical look; she shouldn't know about that fact since their families hadn't spoken since after the divorce between his parents. Then it donned on him; _his mother_. He wouldn't put it past his mother to gloat to her snobby sister about the fact that her bad boy son has finally settling down with a _good_ girlfriend. Derek had to resist his chuckles at that thought; if only they knew.

Noticing her boyfriend's hesitancy, Casey stepped in. "It's very nice to finally meet you Mrs Lockwood. When Derek told me he had family in Mystic Falls, I just couldn't wait to meet them." She said with her free hand out and ready for a handshake.

"Oh…do you have family here Casey?" Carol questioned as she slowly shook Casey's hand, not even realizing that the brief contact had allowed Casey to see the past few months through Carol's eyes (which included the recent moment of Mayor Lockwood's drop in the town square earlier that night).

"You could say that. They are more like family friends." Casey said with a soft smile as her brain tried to work out what it had just absorbed from Carol.

The older woman gave the younger one a surprised look. "Really? Anyone that I might know?"

Before the hybrid could say anything, Derek spoke up after getting his head back into the situation. "She's close to Damon Salvatore." He said and he was pleased when his aunt's eyes widened; he had to repress the urge to smirk. "They practically grew up together." He goaded because for some reason, he could just tell that Damon was the type that could attract women of any age to him without even trying and his aunt was no exception to that. While he had the feeling, Casey had the confirmation.

When Carol heard that her nephew's girlfriend/stepsister was connected to the town's newest _heartthrob_, she couldn't help how she immediately went into suck-up mode. It's always been ingrained in her mind to work people if they had something to offer you and if this young lady was her ticket in then by all means. "Oh why didn't you say so! Please come in, come in!"

Derek and Casey gave an internal sigh of relief as Casey was unknowingly given access into the Lockwood mansion.

"We're actually staying with him for a few days and when he told us about the call he got from the Sheriff about the accident, we just had to come over and see if Tyler was alright." Derek explained as he and Casey were ushered further inside the house. To Derek, nothing looked like it changed but for Casey, it reminded her of a more modernized version of the original Salvatore mansion back in the late 1800s.

Carol sighed as his words registered to her. "I guess word hasn't gotten around then." She found herself saying before she even realized it.

"Word about what?" Casey questioned as she kept her cover of not knowing what was truly going on in Mystic Falls. Derek seemed to have gotten the same idea as he played his part as the oblivious nephew.

Before Carol could give the devastating news, someone else beat her to it. "My dad's dead Derek." Tyler solemnly stated as he stood at the threshold of the room. He had heard noises from his room and when he went to investigate, it didn't take him long to realize that it was his cousin that had stopped by.

"But…I just saw him at the Grill today with you. How can he…" Derek trailed off as he replicated the reaction he originally gave when Damon had given him the news. He hated that he had to fake a reaction like this but Damon wasn't supposed to know about the news yet which meant that they weren't supposed to know and although the Lockwoods were part of Derek's family, he felt more loyalty towards Casey and Damon; his future family.

"Apparently he was in the fire and…" Carol continued off before it got too much for her.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. Is there anything we can do for you while we're here?" Casey questioned as she gave Carol a comforting hug. The hybrid didn't need to fake any of her compassion, it came naturally to her.

Carol sniffled as she pulled back from Casey's embrace (which had surprised her). "That's very kind of you but I'm…" The phone immediately cut her off as the sound echoed throughout the house. Carol sighed. "I better get that." She declared before she excused herself from the kids.

Derek exhaled deeply before he turned to his cousin. "How are you feeling Ty?"

Tyler shrugged; a lot had happened that day. "I'm still shaken up…I guess it hasn't fully hit me yet. I'm still reeling about the accident and worrying about Caroline." His voice turned raw at the end as he ran his hand over his tired face. No one could blame him.

"Actually that's why we came over. We wanted to see if you were okay from that." Derek stated as he moved close enough to leave a comforting pat on the teenager's shoulders. Casey mimicked her boyfriend's movements as she moved to Tyler's free side before she gave his arm a comforting rub.

Tyler sighed. "I don't know what happened…one minute I'm perfectly fine and then the next, I have this splitting headache that grew to the point that my brain felt like it was splitting into two. The next thing I know, Caroline grabbed the wheel to get us out of traffic but we smashed into a guardrail and I was knocked out." He slowly explained as his eyes glassed over the further he progressed with the story. He was completely unaware of the look that was shared between the couple; Derek with a confused expression while Casey had a perplexing one on her face.

Casey exhaled deeply as her hand continued to trail up Tyler's arm; he was surprised that the action had a soothing effect on him. "It sounds like you need some rest then."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Tyler said as he blinked a few times to clear away his dazed vision.

"Why don't you head on up to bed and we'll come by in the morning to see how you are." Derek suggested when he noticed that Casey's attention had immediately shifted to something else.

Tyler could only nod as he agreed with the suggestion. He could definitely feel his body slowly shut down for the night. "Alright…night guys. Thanks for coming."

Derek shrugged as he gave his cousin another pat on the shoulder. "It's what family does."

"We better get going too, it's getting late." Casey stated before she gave Tyler a quick hug, which had thrown him off just a bit.

"I'll tell mom that you'll be by in the morning." Tyler stated before they said their goodbyes for the night with the couple showing themselves out.

The moment that they exited the Lockwood mansion, Casey whipped out her cell phone. She had heard it vibrate from inside her purse a few moments ago. She silently cursed when she read the text message from Damon.

"What is it? You seem more on edge." Derek questioned once they got to his car.

Casey sighed as they both got in so that they could talk freely. "I don't know how to say this Derek."

"You can tell me anything, you know that right?" He immediately stated as he took one of her hands into his.

Casey groaned; no matter how she spun it, she knew that Derek wasn't going to like what she had to say. "Of course, it's just…what Tyler was describing is basically how I felt when the Gilbert device was activated earlier tonight."

Derek's eyes widened. "What? But Tyler's not a vampire."

"I know." She mumbled before she motioned for Derek to start the car.

He gave a disagreeing nod; his mind wouldn't be able to drive and process the theories it was going through at the moment. He froze when another thought came to his mind. "Wait, do you think that's what happening to my uncle?"

Casey grimaced. "It would explain how the deputies placed him with the rest of the tomb vampires. But that's not all." When Derek didn't say anything, one look told the hybrid that he was just waiting for her to reveal the rest of the bad news that she had. "Damon texted me. He said that Katherine was in town."

"What?" Derek gawked as he stared at his girlfriend. He was right before, he was definitely not focused enough to drive because if they were on the road, he's pretty sure he would have jerked the wheel.

"I don't know the details but he wants me to meet him at the Gilbert's immediately." Casey hurried to explain before she started to nibble on her lower lip. The news of Katherine's return really bothered the hybrid. She wasn't worried about her confrontation with the older vampire but she was worried about Damon's encounter with his former lover. He didn't need this; he was just starting to get over Katherine, he didn't need to see her now.

"Do you want me to come with?" Derek quickly questioned as he started his car up and pulled out onto the road.

Casey shook her head. "No, chances are that Stefan will be there…"

"All the more reason for me to go _with_ you." Derek said while cutting her off. After all the stories he's heard about Stefan, he didn't want her to face him on her own. Granted Damon would be there with her but it still wouldn't feel right for him to _not_ be there for her.

She gave him a sweet smile. "That's sweet Der but I can handle Stefan."

He took a quick glance towards her and when he saw that she wasn't budging on the subject, he sighed. "Alright, do you want me to drive you there before I head back to the boarding house?"

"Nah, I'll make a run for it from here and with Katherine back in town, just…be wary when you see Elena's face." She explained as Derek pulled over on an abandoned road. He started making the move once she had suggested it.

"Duly noted." He said as he took in her worried look. He knew all about Katherine; he will be cautious. With his car in parked, he quickly leaned forward and gave Casey a quick peck on the lips. "Be home soon."

Casey smiled. "I will. Be careful."

The human nodded before his girlfriend blurred away to go meet up with her brother. It wasn't long before he was back on the road, heading towards the boarding house.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

Damon was anxious. He didn't want to be in the Gilbert kitchen but he had no choice. They had to discuss Katherine's return. The vampire groaned. _Katherine_. Why did she have to return now of all times to make an appearance? When he had realized that his sire was back in town, he had immediately sent a text to Casey about it before he and Elena returned back at the Gilbert house to talk with Stefan. Damon wasn't surprised that they had just missed her when they arrived. Now that he knew that she was back, he knew what to expect to a certain extent.

"She said she fooled one of us at least. What does that mean?" Stefan questioned which brought Damon's attention back to the conversation.

"She pretended to be Elena too when I showed up earlier tonight." He explained; he figured that there was no point in lying about it now. They had bigger things to deal with.

Before either vampire could answer, Elena walked back into the kitchen with Casey following moments after. "Look who showed up." Elena said as she watched Casey go to Damon's side. She had heard a small knock on her front door when she was just coming down the stairs. At first, she was surprised to see the female vampire but when she learned that she had gotten a text from Damon, Elena didn't hesitate to invite the vampire inside.

Elena was too busy watching Casey and Damon to notice the glare that Stefan was sending towards the two other vampires in the room.

Damon smirked at his sister; having caught the glare that his brother was giving them. "Trouble?"

Casey shrugged her shoulders before she planted a quick kiss on Damon's cheek; this happened to stun the other occupants in the kitchen. "Nothing I couldn't handle." She confessed before she turned to the others. "So what did I miss?"

Elena shook her head quickly before she cleared her throat. "Well I just told Jeremy about Katherine, I can't lie to him anymore."

Before Casey could comment about it, Stefan cut her off. "Are you alright?" He asked with his sole focus on Elena.

Casey rolled her eyes while Damon was still having a hard time looking at Elena; the moment on that porch was still going through his mind. He was still trying to figure out how he couldn't tell that it was Katherine he was talking with and not Elena. Casey noticed this yet she didn't question…not yet anyways.

Elena sighed while out of the corner of her eye, she watched Casey with Damon. "No I'm not alright. I thought with all the tomb vampires gone that things would get _better_."

"I know, we all did." Stefan stated sadly as he moved closer to his girlfriend.

"Katherine was in this house…that means she's been invited in. What are we going to do?" The human questioned as she looked between the three vampires.

Damon shrugged. "Move." He suggested with a smirk which instantly resulted in a small smirk forming on Casey's face.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Very helpful, thank you." She snarked back as she looked to the older brother.

"Hey don't knock the idea." Casey defended with a small chuckle. She could see why Damon would easily suggest that since they've become so accustomed to just picking up their lives and uprooting to someplace else so many times. It's the norm for vampires but unfortunately for them, that wasn't a suitable option for the teenager.

Stefan scoffed as he finally turned to stare at Casey. "Of course you would side with _him_." He sneered as he looked between the two vampires.

"Well I don't see you coming up with any ideas Stefan. So by all means, what do you got?" Casey retorted back immediately with some heavy attitude. While the exchange stunned the human, it only aggravated the eldest vampire in the room.

"Enough!" Damon stated with a groan as he glared at his brother. He didn't have to look at Casey to know that she had started to simmer down the moment he raised his voice.

It was never truly like this when they were kids. Usually Casey never spoke out since doing so would result in a furious Giuseppe but now that nothing and no one could intimidate Casey, she wasn't going to let anyone tell her what to do…and that included Stefan.

Once Stefan seemed to have reigned in his control, Damon continued, "Bottom line is that Katherine is up to something. The three of us know that if Katherine wants _someone_ dead, there's zero chance we can do about it but for some reason she kept Elena alive."

Casey sighed as she caught on to Damon's train of thought. "The question is; _why_ does Katherine need Elena alive?"

"I'm standing right here, there is no need to talk as if I'm not." Elena argued with a pout as she slumped into the closest chair. She didn't care if the action made her look her age (even though she physically was the only one in the room that looked their age), she always hated when people talked about her as if she wasn't in the very room during the discussion.

The female vampire gave the human an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

"What happened tonight when you thought she was Elena?" Stefan questioned, out of the blue, as he continued to focus on Damon. It was something that he couldn't get off his mind before Casey showed up so now that he was focused again, it was all he could think about.

After a few false starts, Damon finally caved. "To risk another frown line encroaching on your very crowded forehead…we…kissed." He confessed with a smirk once he saw how his brother tensed at his words. He knew that he shouldn't provoke him at a time like this but then again, he wouldn't be Damon Salvatore if he didn't.

Elena's brow furrowed out of confusion. "And you thought it was me?" She voiced, as if the very thought of him kissing her was such a foreign concept to her.

Casey, on the other hand, had a very worried expression on her face. "Damon tell me you didn't." She whispered in hopes that her brother hadn't done something so stupid. Not only did he kiss Elena earlier that night but to now find out that it was actually Katherine…she could instantly tell that the mixture was really taking a toll on her brother's mind. She knew that whatever conclusions he had first made were now being second guessed because of one tiny little detail. She knew the repercussions his sudden kiss could have had, she just didn't know if he too had realized it yet or not.

"What do you mean you _kissed_?" Stefan sternly questioned as he refrained from attacking his brother that very second.

"You know, when two lips pucker and then…" Damon teased as he was completely in the zone when it came to tormenting his brother, not even aware of the warning signs that Casey was sending him.

Before Elena knew it, three blurs all happened at once; two charging each other as the third tried to interfere. When the vampires were finally standing still, the human realized that Damon and Stefan had switched positions with Casey standing between them (while still remaining close to Damon).

"That's enough! We don't have time for this." Casey protested as she held her hand up at an approaching Stefan, who really wanted to charge at his brother again.

"You shouldn't even be here." The youngest brother argued back as he glared at the girl that stood between him and his brother.

Elena was too lost in thought about Damon's admission that she had to resist the urge to jump out of her chair when she suddenly heard a low growl emanate from Damon. When she turned in her seat to face him, she was stunned to see that his teasing expression from moments ago was replaced with a menacing one that was aimed at his brother; her boyfriend.

Casey's eyes narrowed. "Well guess what, I am here so deal with it. And instead of letting your emotions run you, think this out logically. Why in the world would _Katherine_ pretend to be _Elena_?" She stated with great emphasis, in hopes that someone would catch on to her thought process.

It was no surprise to the hybrid that Damon would take a page out of her book (throwing emotions out of the conversation) and answer her first. "To get into this house. She _used_ me to do it because Jenna caught us kissing."

Elena groaned as her head slumped into her hands. "Oh god." The teenager couldn't help but wonder what her aunt thought of her now.

"Exactly. Now _why_ did she want access into this house?" Casey continued as she ignored Elena's little outburst. The hybrid's mind was working at warp-speed as it came up with a ton of possibilities.

Stefan sighed; he may not like the current situation but he had to admit (at least to himself) that it was getting them some answers. "To get to John."

"So then John must know something, I mean, why else would Katherine want to kill him?" Elena piped in when she finally caught up with the immortals and their rapid thought processes.

Damon scoffed. "It's Katherine; does she really need a reason?"

Stefan groaned. "Damon's right but Elena's on to something. John could know something through Isobel…your mother, she was in touch with Katherine so maybe we can go to the hospital and talk." He stated with the last portion being aimed at Elena.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Yeah and while you two go chasing down a pointless lead, I have a better idea."

Elena turned her head to give Damon a skeptical look. "What's that?"

Damon smirked. "I'm just going to ignore the bitch. See you." He declared as he started to back out of the room.

Elena frowned. "Is that smart?"

"If Katherine thinks she's being ignored, it will lure her out faster and she'll make a move." Damon explained and he was pleased to see Casey discreetly nod her head with him.

"And then what?" Stefan questioned; he didn't believe that Damon would be able to ignore Katherine now that he knew her whereabouts.

Damon shrugged. "Stake her or rip her head off…something poetic. What do you think Case?" He finished as he looked to his thoughtful sister.

"I have a _better_ idea." She declared with a grin before she walked out of the kitchen, knowing that Damon's curiosity would have him following in a second.

True to her prediction, Damon quickly followed after his sister. "Oh don't leave me hanging here. Tell me!"

Elena shook her head in a disbelieving manner as she heard Damon's tone take on a slight whiny quality before she heard her front door slam shut. "Do I even want to know what they are planning for Katherine?" She finally asked when she looked to Stefan.

"She's not telling him anything." He grumbled as he slowly approached her.

Elena gave an understanding nod of her head before she stood from her seat. "Speaking of _she_, do you mind telling me what was with the hostile attitude you had towards Casey?" She understood the hostility that Stefan had towards Damon but she couldn't understand why he'd have one towards Casey. She may not know the girl that well but after spending time with her in Buffalo a few months ago, Elena didn't think that she deserved the hostile attitude that she was receiving from Stefan.

"It was nothing." Stefan brushed off with a shrug. He really didn't want to talk about it but she wouldn't accept that.

"It didn't seem like nothing Stefan. Is there something I should know about?" She prodded as she placed her hand on his arm in a somewhat reassuring gesture.

Stefan sighed; he really didn't know how to word his concerns so that she'd understand. "No just…watch yourself when you're around her, that's all."

Elena's brow furrowed out of confusion; she wasn't expecting him to say something like that. "Why? She seems nice."

"She's Damon's _best_ friend Elena…what does that tell you?" He stated as he gave her an incredulous look. He couldn't believe that she couldn't see it. Best friends tend to have many similarities with one another so for Damon to have a best friend that meant that _his_ best friend would have to be similar to the vampire in many aspects. In other words, Casey would have to be a psychopath with no redeeming qualities…just like Damon.

Elena truly didn't know how to respond to that. Was she missing something that he was only privy to? Was she being played? She immediately dismissed that thought about Casey when she thought back on her Buffalo trip. She may not get the true extent of Stefan's warning but she had to believe (by her own judgment) that Casey wasn't a danger to her.

Stefan sighed when all Elena gave him was silence. "Just stay clear of her." He stated after he placed a kiss upon her cheek. He suggested that she get some rest while he performed a perimeter sweep around the area for any vampires. She was about to argue but when he reminded her that they needed to go to the hospital to speak to John and to visit Caroline in the morning, Elena relented to the idea of going to bed.

So as the human got herself ready for bed, she couldn't help how her thoughts drifted back to the hostile atmosphere she had witnessed tonight between Casey and the Salvatore brothers. Deep down, she knew she _should_ be thinking about their current Katherine problem and yet she just couldn't think about that particular vampire. As her eyes slowly drew heavier, another female vampire kept Elena's mind occupied with unsolved questions as she finally let the darkness consume her.

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Next Day (Thursday February 25, 2010):<strong>

The following day was just a whirlwind of activity for the citizens of Mystic Falls. While yesterday had been filled with celebratory cheers among its citizens, today was filled with many condolences when it came to Mayor Lockwood as every citizen in the small town showed up to the Lockwood estate to offer their support.

It was late in the morning when the crowd started to arrive on the estate but for Derek and Casey, they had arrived earlier to help the grieving family prepare. While Derek tended to silently be there for Tyler, Casey made it her mission to keep Carol occupied (and away from Derek).

Even with people pouring in, the hybrid could tell instantly when Damon had finally showed up. They had spent the previous night talking about their next move with Katherine and about how the Lockwood men seemed to be affected by the Gilbert device (Casey had relayed what she learned from Tyler to Damon). At some point, Casey had even convinced Damon to go heal Caroline.

"_**I'm not going to do it just to prove that witch right." Damon sneered as he downed another class of his bourbon. **_

_**Casey sighed; she would go heal Caroline herself but it would seem suspicious if she went to visit a girl she had never met. "You're right. You are going to do it because it's the right thing to do."**_

_**Damon rolled his eyes. "Says who?"**_

"_**Damon."**_

_**He immediately shook his head. "No. I'm not falling for her manipulations. It's her own fault so **_**she**_** should have to suffer for it."**_ _**He declared in reference to Bonnie. He saw it that if Bonnie had deactivated the device like she was supposed to then Caroline wouldn't have been in the crash, the mayor would still be alive, Anna and the other tomb vampires would still be alive too. The whole attack and its aftershocks was all Bonnie's fault.  
><strong>_

"_**I get why you want to punish Bonnie but Caroline doesn't deserve this Damon." Casey stated as she moved to stand behind her brother. "If you won't do it for Caroline, Bonnie or Elena then do it for Liz." She suggested before she turned Damon around so that they were face to face with one another. "Damon, do it so that the woman who has become your friend doesn't lose her daughter." It wasn't long before Damon groaned and blurred his way to the hospital. **_

He wasn't gone for long but after his trip to the hospital, they got back to brainstorming. They were so caught up in it that they hadn't realized that the sun was up until Derek (showered and dressed) had walked into the room. While Derek had eaten his breakfast, the vampires had blurred to get ready before they downed a few blood bags before they left the boarding house.

Anyways, the vampires didn't greet each other immediately once they were both on the estate. Casey had gone to check on Tyler and Derek while Damon had made his way over to Carol and Liz when he heard their argument (which many consisted of Carol pushing the blame onto Liz when it came to Richard Lockwood's death).

Damon eventually parted ways with the council members in search of Derek. When he saw that his future brother-in-law (because that title was simple inevitable when it came to Casey and Derek) was hanging in there and staying strong, Damon was then on the verge of looking for Casey, only to stumble across an unknown man talking to Carol.

With a little help from Liz, the vampire had learned that the unknown man was Mason Lockwood, the late mayor's younger brother, who knew about the council yet didn't want any part of it.

Just after Liz had left Damon's side, Casey appeared. "Glad to see you made it." She greeted her brother before she planted a kiss to his cheek.

Damon shrugged. "Kind of had to. How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine, it's nothing I can't handle." She said with a reassuring smile. Damon knew how crowds were a bit overwhelming for the hybrid due to the vibes she would gather due to her powers and with the depressing mood in the area, it was only natural for him to ask her if she was handling all the vibes she was getting.

Damon nodded his head; his eyes still remained on Mason and Carol.

Casey noticed her brother's distraction and followed his line of sight. "I see you've finally caught a glimpse of the new player in town."

"What do you know about Mason Lockwood?" He questioned so low that only she could hear him.

Casey sighed. "Nothing more than what you do. I haven't had a chance to introduce myself to him." She explained, cluing him in on the fact that she was eavesdropping on his mini-interrogation with Liz moments before.

"Make sure that you do. Maybe he has the answers we need." He stated until he noticed Casey's body tense all of a sudden. "What is it?"

Casey gulped as she discreetly scanned the room while she concentrated on the new vibe in the atmosphere. She immediately grabbed his hand, hiding it from everyone's view, before she spoke to him through their minds. "_Before yesterday, were you the oldest vampire in town?_"

Damon turned and gave his sister a quizzical look. "_Yeah, why?_"

"_Because someone _older_ has just arrived._" She replied worriedly and she wasn't surprised to see her brother's eyes harden before her eyes.

"_Katherine._" Damon sneered in his mind as he resisted the urge to go find her and rip her apart.

Casey sighed as she lowered her gaze to the ground. "_And Tyler has just let her in._" She stated as her enhanced ears picked up on Tyler giving Katherine the invitation she needed.

Damon groaned. "_If we're not careful, nowhere will be safe from her._"

"_My room will always be safe from her._" Casey automatically piped in while she continued to track Katherine's footsteps throughout the foyer.

"You don't know that." He argued back vocally without missing a beat. He knew that her room was only keyed up to allow three people in it but it was set up just like the safe havens. Theoretically if someone was allowed into the safe havens then they could be allowed into Casey's room too once she removed the heavy restriction on it.

Casey knew where Damon's thoughts were headed and it pained her that he wouldn't accept that it's Elena he's been looking for, not Katherine. That kiss from last night should have been proof enough that it won't be Katherine (it didn't matter who he originally thought he was kissing). "Oh but I do Damon and the sooner you realize that, the easier things will be for you."

Damon quirked an eyebrow at her. "Easier?" He had an idea of what she was really hinting at and he had a feeling that nothing would be easier if he just accepted it. Living in denial seemed to be working for him at the moment.

Casey huffed. "Alright, how about _less complicated_?"

"Sounds about right." Damon stated with a smirk as he noticed a few people staring in their direction.

Casey seemed to realize the same before she broke her connection with Damon. "Now I'm going to warn Derek, it'd be best if you stay clear of the she-devil but keep your ears open." She advised slowly before she gave him a departing kiss on the cheek.

Damon chuckled. "Will do." He mumbled as she walked away, knowing that she heard him either way.

Knowing that Casey could tell when Katherine had entered the premises, Damon concentrated his enhanced senses long enough to pinpoint her location within the Lockwood mansion. With that point in mind, he made sure to stay clear of her. He didn't want to test his restraint when it came to her, not with an estate full of depressed humans around.

As he was roaming around a few rooms for some food and for a slight distraction (he didn't want to think about a certain kiss any more than he had to), he was approached by someone he definitely did not want to see.

Bonnie.

"Did you know the Gilbert device affected Tyler Lockwood?" The witch immediately questioned as she saddled up beside the vampire. She didn't want to be this close to him but they needed to discuss this new development.

Damon popped a grape into his mouth before he chose to answer. "Yes and it also took the mayor down." He stated as he continued to walk along the table that held the food.

Bonnie's brow furrowed out of confusion; she didn't get why he was being so dismissive all of a sudden. "Don't you want to know why?"

Damon rolled his eyes before he turned to face the teenage witch. "Yes Bonnie, I would _love_ to know why a non-vampire was tortured by the vampire-torture-device that you let John Gilbert use against us." He rambled before he grabbed another grape. "Speaking of your guilt; how is Caroline?" He questioned, popping the new grape into his mouth, as he continued to walk along the table. Unfortunately for him, Bonnie was still following him.

"She's much better." She declared with her chin held high.

"You're welcome." He retorted as he continued to move.

"No, you're welcome." She snarked right back at him.

That response knew him off. "Why am I welcome?" He questioned as he turned to look down on her; she was short in comparison to him.

"You get to live to see another day." She declared as her eyes narrowed on the vampire.

Damon rolled his eyes. "No good deed goes unpunished with you, does it?"

"Doesn't undo the bad. I know what you are Damon, you might have Elena and the sheriff and everybody else fooled but _not_ me. One wrong move and I'm going to take you out." Bonnie proclaimed as if she had the answers to everything which Damon found absolutely amusing. When will these humans understand that they know _nothing_ when compared to a vampire?

Damon smirked down at the witch. "Now you need to stop with the witches' brood. You're starting to believe your own press." He stated before he popped another grape into his mouth before he turned to walk away; he had enough of the witch's judgy attitude.

Bonnie was furious. _How dare he question my power? _She angrily thought before the idea of giving him a sample of her abilities had struck her. With her concentration focused on the vampire, she put all her thought into creating an aneurism in his undead brain. It would instantly kill a human but with a vampire's healing capabilities, it was a plausible torture technique.

Damon stopped in his tracks when he felt a pull in his brain that wasn't there before. He waited a few seconds but when it didn't disappear, he turned to face Bonnie. He immediately noticed the focused glare, the scrunched up brow and the firm line of her lip; all traits he had associated with her _using_ magic. When a few more moments passed and the sensation in his brain didn't change, a slow smirk started to form on his lips.

She was using…on him…and he didn't feel a thing. It was like that pull in his brain was to let him know that someone was trying to use magic on him with no avail.

_Oh this is fantastic_. He thought to himself as he slowly advanced on the unsuccessful witch with a mischievous glint in his sapphire eyes (a human could barely notice the silver tint that was present because of Casey's blood…a tint that would be gone by the end of the evening).

Bonnie automatically started to move away from Damon once she realized that her powers weren't working on him. The notion terrified her. _Why is it not working on him now?_

"What's the matter Bennett? Mojo not working for you?" Damon taunted as he boxed her in with his arms on either side of her as her back hit the table.

Bonnie gulped as the severity of the situation hit her. The room was strangely vacant yet she couldn't risk using her powers on something else in retaliation against Damon because it might expose her if someone happened to walk in on them. She immediately tensed when he stated to lower his head down so that his lips were against her ear.

"You shouldn't be threatening the very vampire that has made sure that you're even alive _Witch_." He sneered the title into her ear before he continued with his pseudo-lecture to her ungrateful ass. "Because for the record, if it weren't for _my_ deal with Emily, I would have let all the Bennett witches _burn_ when they came for her but instead I hid her two children from the witch hunters, just as she requested and viola…you stand before me today." He finished in a menacing tone that sent a shiver down her spine. He immediately grinned before he went for the final kill. "So I'd be careful if I was you because the next being you try to use your mojo on, might not have my restraint. Who knows, they might actually _kill_ you before you could blink."

Bonnie's breath hitched and before she could think of a suitable comeback, Damon had backed up and walked away with a victorious smirk on his face.

"_I don't know what the hell you did Casey but you are the best sister ever!_" He mentally thought out to his hybrid sister as he patrolled around the rooms for the bourbon. He needed a drink.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

"_I don't know what the hell you did Casey but you are the best sister ever!_" Casey couldn't help the giggles that escaped her when Damon's praise had entered into her mind when it did. Luckily for her, she and Derek were alone so no one was giving her disgusted looks for giggling at such a depressing event.

"What's so funny?" Derek questioned as he pulled his girlfriend into his arms.

"Damon's comment." She stated as she pointed to her head.

"Ah, care to share?" He asked as he buried his face into the crook of her neck. It wasn't even 1pm yet and he was already exhausted with the whole depressing event. He was tired of answering questions about what happened or even worse, the questions that pried into his own life. He got that some people might remember him but he hadn't expect them to be so nosy about his life as if they were his great-aunt or something.

"Nothing major. He just discovered the little gift I bestowed on him last night." She whispered without giving much away yet Derek knew what she was talking about. They had discussed it last night before Damon had told them about his message from Sheriff Forbes.

Derek chuckled. "I bet he was thrilled." He mumbled before he planted a few kisses just below her ear.

Casey giggled; he'd kissed a ticklish spot on her. "Oh he was. I just hope that he doesn't abuse it."

"He won't if he wants to avoid your wrath." He teased as he started to mentally count down from three for her reaction.

"Hey!" She protested as she lightly nudged him away from her.

"I'm kidding." Derek stated with a laugh as he pulled her back into his arms; her predictability never ceased to amaze him.

Her predictability may have bugged him at the very beginning (he was a spontaneous kind of guy) but it grew on him as it just proved how much he truly paid attention to her. With that being said, that doesn't mean that his girlfriend didn't have a spontaneous side to her as well. Those moments definitely pop up out of the blue but he loved them.

"So not that I'm complaining but how much longer do we have to stay here?" He questioned with his head resting on her shoulders and his arms wrapped around her waist as they looked out of the bay window their hideaway had. The view was definitely gorgeous.

"Here as in this isolated part of the estate or here as in this estate in general?" She questioned as she quirked an eyebrow at him.

Derek took some time to give it some thought but he already knew what his answer would be. "Option two because I'm loving option one." He whispered into her ear before he placed a few kisses along her jaw.

Casey sighed as she tried to suppress some other noises. "Derek you know the answer then."

He groaned as he buried his face into the crook of her neck again. "I hate caring about others." He mumbled but the hybrid heard him loud and clear.

"No you don't." She said as she lifted his chin up so that they were eye to eye with each other. "And I love you because of it." She declared with a smile, which earned her a smile from him too.

"I love you too." He stated before he closed the distance between them and gave her a passionate kiss. Eventually Casey had twisted in Derek's arms so that they were chest to chest and more comfortable as they continued to kiss.

Unfortunately Casey had to pull away before they got too ahead of themselves. It certainly wasn't the place to get caught kissing at a pseudo-memorial service. Derek didn't like the instant separation but he understood why. He'd never hear the end of it if his aunt Carol caught them making out.

"Is the coast clear?" He asked moments later when he noticed that Casey's attention was on something outside the bay window. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't see what she was looking at.

"Yup. She's not inside anymore. She's taking a walk with Stefan." She replied as her enhanced vision picked up the sight of Katherine and Stefan on the other side of the pond on the property. One of the reasons she had pulled away from the kiss moments ago was because she had felt Katherine's vibe leave the house and she had broken the kiss off to not only let Derek breathe again but to double check that the manipulative bitch had actually left the house. Luckily she did.

Derek sighed. "I really hope I never come across Katherine by myself." He had half a mind to tell the vampire bitch off but his self-preservation won out and told him to stay the hell away from that vampire.

Casey laced her fingers with Derek's before she gave it a hard squeeze. "I won't let that happen. Now c'mon before Carol comes looking for us." She stated before she dragged him into the next room with her, bringing them back to the depressing event.

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN #3: **And there you have it! So much has happened but I hope you enjoyed the addition scenes as well as the alterations in two of the canon scenes (the kitchen brainstorm and the Damon/Bonnie encounter). What did you guys think of Dasey's presence in the timeline? How about Elena's confusion when it comes to the hostility between Stefan/Casey? **Let me know in a review! **Thanks again for reading!

**A/N#4:** Alright, since I don't think I'll get another update before my family cruise (mid-July), this is an early celebration for all the **July-VD-birthdays**. So a happy early birthday should go to **Steven R. McQueen **(aka Jeremy on July 13), **Sara Canning **(aka Jenna on July 14), **Taylor Kinney **(aka Mason on July 15) and **Paul Wesley **(aka Stefan on July 23).

With that said, as for you readers, have a great long weekend everyone!

Happy Canada Day (July 1) and Happy Independence Day (July 4)!

* * *

><p><strong>Originally Published: <strong>June 30, 2012


	10. Ch 10: The Return Pt 2

"**A Journey To Find A Lost Soul"**

**Chapter 10: The Return (Part 2)**

**A/N #1: **Hey everyone! Since I just got back from vacation yesterday, I wasn't planning on posting anything so soon let alone today but I figured since this chapter was ready before I left, why not post it on **Paul Wesley's 30****th**** birthday?** Happy birthday to the man who plays Stefan Salvatore! Also this is to celebrate the many wins (and surfboards) the cast scored yesterday on the 2012 Teen Choice Awards!

**A/N #2: **Thank you everyone who's still sticking with this story! Your support means the world to me so thank you readers, reviewers, alerters and favoriters. You guys are amazing! Now go enjoy the chapter and remember, I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors or any run-on sentences.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own _Vampire Diaries_ or _Life With Derek_. They belong to their respective owners (I thank them for creating them in the first place). Recognizable dialogue comes from VD episode _'The Return' _and a little inspiration from one of it's deleted scenes.

* * *

><p><strong>Full<strong> **Summary**: Instead of visiting a dear friend alone, Damon takes along Elena just when a rogue vampire flips her car over [1x11]. As time goes on, Damon learns that it might not be Katherine that he needs in order to gain what he's missed most in the world. Will Damon finally get the ending he's been waiting for since he turned or are there just too many obstacles for him to handle? [Crossover yet VD-centric]

**Remember: **For _Vampire Diaries_, this is right after the episode where Elena sleeps with Stefan for the first time just before finding out that she's an exact physical replica to Katherine Pierce.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Vampire Diaries <strong>_**Timeline: **starts off at the beginning of Episode #1x11 – 'Bloodlines' (with focus only on Damon and Elena)

_**Life With Derek **_**Timeline****: **AU (due to specific changes) but it takes place when Casey and Derek (21 – 4th Year) are at Queen's University

* * *

><p><strong>LAST TIME:<strong>

Stefan sighed when all Elena gave him was silence. "Just stay clear of her." He stated after he placed a kiss upon her cheek. He suggested that she get some rest while he performed a perimeter sweep around the area for any vampires. She was about to argue but when he reminded her that they needed to go to the hospital to speak to John and to visit Caroline in the morning, Elena relented to the idea of going to bed.

So as the human got herself ready for bed, she couldn't help how her thoughts drifted back to the hostile atmosphere she had witnessed tonight between Casey and the Salvatore brothers. Deep down, she knew she _should_ be thinking about their current Katherine problem and yet she just couldn't think about that particular vampire. As her eyes slowly drew heavier, another female vampire kept Elena's mind occupied with unsolved questions as she finally let the darkness consume her.

***VD***

Bonnie's breath hitched and before she could think of a suitable comeback, Damon had backed up and walked away with a victorious smirk on his face.

"_I don't know what the hell you did Casey but you are the best sister ever!_" He mentally thought out to his hybrid sister as he patrolled around the rooms for the bourbon. He needed a drink.

***VD***

Derek sighed. "I really hope I never come across Katherine by myself." He had half a mind to tell the vampire bitch off but his self-preservation won out and told him to stay the hell away from that vampire.

Casey laced her fingers with Derek's before she gave it a hard squeeze. "I won't let that happen. Now c'mon before Carol comes looking for us." She stated before she dragged him into the next room with her, bringing them back to the depressing event.

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Day After Founder's Day (Thursday February 25, 2010):<strong>

He was not having a good day; not by a long shot. If he could, he would skip out on this sickening wake and go drink himself into a stupor but he couldn't. Damon Salvatore couldn't because as a member of the Council, he had to come by and show his support towards a grieving member. And to top it all off, his manipulative sire had just left the property to talk to his brother.

After realizing that Katherine's presence was moving away from the property, Damon stopped tracking her as he indulged himself in another drink…only to be disrupted by the arrival of her doppelganger.

Damon sighed. Today was definitely _not_ his day.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Elena softly questioned the vampire after dismissing her family members, saying that she'd be with them in a moment. They were both hesitant but Jenna had a casserole that needed to be brought to the kitchen and Jeremy was still wary of Damon so both humans just left the duo to their business.

Damon rolled his eyes as he twirled his glass a bit. "Great Elena. Walking on sunshine, thanks for asking."

Elena sighed, not appreciating his sarcasm. "Damon."

"Elena." He immediately mocked back as he looked to her from the corner of his eye.

Her hands fiddled with the strap of her bag as she tried to figure out how to comfort the vampire. _What does one say to someone who kissed your doppelganger while thinking it was you? _"We should be able to talk about this. Damon, we're close enough now. I really want to know how you are doing."

Damon exhaled deeply. He didn't want to talk about it but he knew Elena and he knew that she wasn't going to let the issue go, not until she had an answer for her probing questions. _Here goes. _"I kissed you; I thought you kissed me back...doppelganger hijinks ensued." He explained before he turned his face to look at her straight on; conflicted blue meeting confused brown. "How do you think I'm doing?"

"I think you're hurt."

Damon scoffed. "No, I don't get hurt, Elena." He lied even though he wished his statement was true. He wished he couldn't get hurt but he can't. Even as a vampire, he still gets hurt; while physically it may not mean much but getting hurt emotionally was just too much of a hit most times.

Elena sighed as she took a few steps towards him. "No, you don't admit that you get hurt. You get angry and to cover that up, you do something stupid." She declared, not afraid that she may have overstepped the line when it came to their dynamic.

Damon, on the other hand, could sense Elena's fear, even though she was trying to put up a strong front before him. The vampire tilted his head to the side for a bit. It was only seconds later did the source of her fear dawn on him. "You're scared." When he picked up on how Elena's body had stiffened, he continued, knowing that he was on the right track. "You think Katherine is going to send me off the deep end don't you?" When he didn't get a reply, he released a humorless chuckle before he downed the rest of his bourbon. "I don't need _her_ for that." He protested before he started to walk away but his thoughts and 'what ifs' got the best of him, so much so that he found himself turning slightly to address the brunette once again. "You know...why is it such a surprise that I would kiss you?"

Elena sighed sadly before she looked the vampire in the eyes. She didn't want to say it but she's never lied to Damon before (something she valued very much) so why start now. "That's not a surprise. I'm surprised that you thought I would kiss you back." She cringed when she noticed how Damon's body stiffened at her confession. She didn't want to hurt him but how could he think that she would kiss him? She was with Stefan…she wouldn't do that to her boyfriend or to Damon or to herself. She wasn't Katherine.

"Now I'm hurt." Damon said coldly before he turned to walk away. He ignored Bonnie's worried greeting towards Elena or how they shared Katherine's latest actions against the witch; he didn't care. All he could think about was Elena's words and the brutal honesty that came with them.

_Why am I the only one that sees it? _He thought to himself. He immediately shook his head of the thought. He wasn't the only one because Casey kept dropping hints about it, which he hated. Maybe he started to believe in her press too soon and that's why he's hurting the way he is. Then again he couldn't blame his sister's predictions. Without her influence, he and Elena had gotten closer over the past few weeks, especially during Stefan's human blood detox and while he hated that, he couldn't deny that he enjoyed being in her presence.

The vampire groaned when he realized how dangerous his thoughts were becoming; he needed another drink. Fast.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

**Meanwhile: **

Casey had separated from Derek moments ago to inform Damon of the latest news about Katherine but a few voices down a deserted hallway had caught her attention. She slowly headed towards the voices and thanks to her enhanced hearing, she was able to recognize Tyler and Jeremy's voices as well as an older voice. It didn't take long for her to realize that the new voice belonged to Mason Lockwood.

In a split second decision, Casey continued towards the room; she figured now would be the perfect time to introduce herself. Fortunately (or not, she wasn't really sure), Jeremy had been indirectly dismissed from the room as the Lockwood men shared a few drinks from the late Richard Lockwood's flask.

Casey quietly inhaled to herself before she schooled her features to look like she had been searching for someone, which is how both Lockwoods saw her as she backtracked in her steps as she did a double take inside the room.

"Oh Tyler, there you are. I've been looking for you." The hybrid lied as she walked into the isolated study. While her eyes were on Tyler (who was trying to hide the flask as discreetly as he could), she could feel Mason's eyes roam over her as he leaned against the only desk in the room. It wasn't his stare that made the hybrid uncomfortable but the vibe she got from him. In a way it felt familiar to her yet it wasn't something she'd come across every day…as if she'd come across it before yet not often.

Tyler gulped. "Sorry, I've been kind of…hiding."

Casey quirked an eyebrow at the teenager as if to say 'I know what you're really doing'. "I can see that…and it's completely understandable." She stated with a small chuckle in hopes of lightening up the mood. Luckily it did as Tyler had immediately given her a grateful smile; it was small but it was something.

Mason gave an inquisitive stare between the mystery girl and his nephew. "Who's your friend Tyler?"

That seemed to snap Tyler out of it as he gave an awkward cough. "Oh uh, Casey McDonald meet my uncle Mason Lockwood."

Casey smiled at Mason as she politely offered her hand to him. He grinned as he shook her hand immediately, unaware to the fact that he had exposed a few of his secrets to the hybrid in that one brief contact between them.

Not realizing what had just happened, Tyler continued; "Casey actually came down for Founder's Day before all _this_ happened."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr Lockwood." Casey said with a pleasant smile before she pulled her hand out of his. Her appearance may seem pleasant but her insides were seething after learning what she did from his touch. Her earlier deductions had been correct; she had come across someone like Mason before.

Mason smiled as he resisted the urge to clench and unclench his hand as it felt like he was zapped by some static electricity or something. "The pleasure is all mine and please, call me Mason."

Casey's pleasant smile had turned into one of sorrow as she looked him in the eyes. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Mason exhaled deeply as he nodded. "Thank you. I bet this wasn't something you expected to experience on your trip here."

"Far from it indeed." She replied with a sigh.

Mason nodded his head in agreement. "So did you come down to celebrate with family, friends…a boyfriend perhaps?" He innocently asked even though it was anything but that; he was fishing for information. He even hinted that he thought that Tyler and Casey were an item.

"Seriously Mason?" Tyler said with an incredulous look directed at his uncle. He really wanted to crawl away from this train wreck of a moment.

"What? It was a legitimate question." Mason quickly stated which only earned an amused smile from the black-haired beauty.

"Well if you must know, I came for all three." She stated with a shy smile while she remained guarded without them knowing.

"Really?" Mason wasn't expecting her to say yes to any of his options let alone all three of them. Now he couldn't help but wonder who would be listed for each option when it came to her.

Tyler sighed. "You remember Derek right?"

Mason's brow furrowed as he tried to put a face to the name. "The hockey head?" He hadn't seen his nephew since Tyler was ten years old so he wasn't really certain if he truly remembered the right names but a few details were still floating in his mind.

Casey laughed at the nickname. "I'll be sure to pass along that nickname to my boyfriend…once I can find him." She teased, noticing how Mason's eyes widened at the confirmation before she turned to address Tyler, "I was hoping that he was with you." Tyler only shook his head in the negative before she gave a dramatic sigh. "Well, it is _very_ easy to get lost in a place like this."

Mason laughed a bit before a smirk formed on his face. "It's not so bad once you get used to it." He offered and he was relieved to see her shake her head in agreement before she spoke again;

"Well I should get back to finding my boyfriend. It was good to meet you Mason and don't hide for too long Tyler." She declared before she departed from the room.

"She seems…different." Mason commented moments later when he was sure that she wasn't near the room anymore.

Tyler couldn't help but agree to that statement. "I only met her yesterday but she seems great." He stated before he removed the flask from its hiding place in the couch and stole another sip of its contents.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

Casey's mind was whirling after meeting Mason that she had to find Damon immediately. After leaving the room, Casey had stretched her senses over the property to have discovered two things; one was that Damon was angrily nursing another beer while walking on the patio that wrapped around the house and the other was that Stefan had just gotten stabbed in the abdomen with an iron stand by Katherine while on their walk around the property's pond.

With that new piece of information, Casey moved as fast as humanly possible (without drawing attention to herself) to get to Damon. Casey may have her issues with Stefan but that didn't mean she wanted him to die by the hands of that manipulative vampire bitch.

Too caught up in what she had to say, she was startled when Damon had greeted her first when she arrived in his little isolated area. "Are you checking up on me Case?"

Casey sighed as she took a few deep breaths; her body may not technically need it but the motions still calm her down. "Somebody has to." She replied as she slowly walked up to him.

"I'm fine." Damon replied through gritted teeth as his attention was focused on the property line in front of him.

She knew her next question won't be answered but she had to give it a shot. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked; she had heard his conversation with Elena before she had implemented her 'meet Mason' plan into action.

"If I did, which I _don't_, I'd rather have that conversation in a more _private_ setting." Damon pointed out before he took another sip of his bourbon.

Casey nodded as she threaded her arm through Damon's crossed one. "I understand but you do know that I'm here to listen right?"

Damon sighed; he didn't mean to sound ungrateful towards her but Elena's probing still left a bitter taste in his mouth, so to speak. "I know and I appreciate it Case but now is not really the time."

Casey gave a curt nod before she stared up at her brother. "You're right which is why I came looking for you in the first place." She stated, getting right down to business.

"If it's about Stefan _saving_ Bonnie from Katherine, I already know." He said with a roll of his eyes. He didn't want to talk about _them_.

Casey nibbled her bottom lip between her blunt teeth. "Not exactly but you're on the right track."

Damon's brow furrowed before he turned to look down at the hybrid. "Go on."

Casey exhaled deeply before she rambled off her latest update. "Since I don't want to deal with _him _at the moment, I thought you should know that Stefan just got stabbed in the stomach by Katherine a few moments ago…or at least, that's what it sounded like."

His eyes widened at her words. "You can still hear them?" He asked while giving her an incredulous look. It always amazed him how advanced her abilities were (and at times it made him a little jealous too).

Casey gave a nonchalant shrug. "With a little bit of help but that's not important right now."

Damon huffed before he downed the rest of his bourbon. "Right, I better go check on baby brother then."

"I'll try to see if I can find any trace of Katherine." Casey piped in as she removed her arm from Damon's. She'll tell her brother about Mason later. "I'll warn Derek just in case I'm led off the property."

"Alright, be careful." Damon said, leaving a quick kiss to Casey's temple before they headed towards their intended targets.

While Damon dealt with a bloody Stefan being tended by Elena (which led to the brothers making a temporary truce so that they could stay united against Katherine), Casey gave Derek a heads-up before she left to follow Katherine (but not until a few heated words were exchanged between the couple since Derek wanted to escape the wake). Derek only relented to being 'left behind' when Casey told him about her suspicions against Mason; her boyfriend was more than happy to stay behind and spy for her.

Since Katherine had a head start before Casey, the hybrid used her instincts to track Katherine's scent but when that only took her so far (to the town's square), she had to resort to other methods; the brief moments she had collected from Mason. The hybrid then perched herself on the roof of the tallest building in the town square before she started shifting through the latest moments she acquired from the visiting Lockwood.

Apparently Mason is currently aligned with Katherine ever since his dark family secret started affecting him; he had become a werewolf. Like she had hinted to Elena back in Buffalo, Casey had encountered werewolves before but that was a _very_ long time ago which was why the vibe/scent she got from Mason wasn't really foreign to her. With one puzzle piece solved just by knowing what Mason was (the Gilbert device affects werewolves too), Casey had uncovered another piece; why was Mason with Katherine? Werewolves and vampires were natural enemies so why would they align themselves with each other? What did they have to gain? Casey couldn't get much from her brief contact with Mason but she saw the last few times that he transformed and she saw the few nights that Mason had spent _with_ Katherine. The hybrid cringed during those recollections but she used those flashes with Katherine as possible hints to where the very vampire was holding up. It wasn't long before the hybrid had come to realize that her conclusions would not be of any use to her since she wasn't familiar with this present day Mystic Falls. She could describe the surroundings that Mason was often in when with Katherine but she couldn't pinpoint where in Mystic Falls that location took place.

With a defeated sigh, Casey transferred all her focus onto a new subject as she whipped her phone out to send a quick text to Derek before she blurred to her next destination; it was time to check in on Jeremy.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

It was all a lie. Everything he had with Katherine was a _lie_. It didn't matter that he was aware of it all, it didn't matter that she never compelled him to accept her or to love her, it had all been a lie because _she_ never loved him. It had always been Stefan; his baby brother.

He was doing so well that day in keeping his control and it all came crashing down when Katherine showed up at the boarding house. He tried to walk away, to get away from her but she wouldn't let him. Instead she taunted him to making a choice and he chose to kiss her. She may have believed that he kissed her because he wasn't capable of killing her (the other option she had given him) but that wasn't why he did it. Damon kissed her to know once and for all if she was the one he was meant to spend eternity with, the one he was searching for to gain his humanity back. He may have kissed Katherine on the porch the previous night but he wanted to know with absolute certainty whether or not Katherine was the girl Casey had envisioned he'd be with decades ago. But when he kissed the vampire for the first time since he became a creature of the night (he dismissed the kiss from before), he felt _nothing_. No spark within him was ignited, no earth-shattering spiritual realignment, _nothing_. He hated to admit that his kiss with her was nothing when compared to the ones he shared with her when he was human.

Apparently the older vampire couldn't tell the difference as she got lost in the kiss. Damon did too, in hopes of getting a delayed response but when he didn't receive anything he pushed and did the most idiotic thing he could possibly think of; he asked for the truth that he knew could ultimately shatter his sanity.

And that is where we found the lost vampire as he robotically moved to his alcohol stash to drown his emotions and discoveries away. In one simple kiss, everything had been dashed for Damon; the hope he had carried with him for the last 145 years had been trampled on as Katherine's words rang through his head.

"_I've never loved you, it was always Stefan."_

As his mind flickered through all sorts of questions and sudden realizations, Damon slowly drained his trolley of its alcohol content, wishing more than ever that he could flip the switch.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

Jeremy was exhausted by the time he ventured upstairs to his room after his run in with his dick of an Uncle John. He still couldn't get over how he was the one to stake Anna the previous night. He still couldn't even fathom his uncle's words when it came to his father Grayson. Jeremy didn't want to believe that his father would be anything like his uncle when it came to vampires.

The teenager was so lost in his thoughts to notice that someone was in his room until they spoke, startling him instantly; "Nice ring." Jeremy's head immediately jerked up from his father's ring to see Casey sitting at his desk with her feet crossed on top of his desk and her attention on the cell phone in her hands; she looked like she owned the place. The positioning actually brought Damon to mind but the human shook that thought away immediately as he tried to figure out how she got into his room. When he couldn't find an answer, he went for the direct approach.

"How'd you get in here? Don't vampires need an invitation or something?" Jeremy whispered hurried as he shut his bedroom door (not wanting John to hear him) before he went to shut his bathroom door (he didn't need Elena looking in when she decided to come home). His antics would have been for nothing as Casey had placed a temporary soundproof spell on his room (a variation of the one on her room) when she had arrived.

Casey giggled to herself as she texted Derek back with a mini-update (he had sent one to her before Jeremy had arrived about how he was heading back to the boarding house with Lockwood-news). "Elena invited me in earlier." She stated with a shrug.

Jeremy groaned. "Of course she did." He mumbled to himself before he turned to face the vampire. "Why are you here?"

Casey frowned as she planted her feet back onto the ground while pocketing her cellular device. "I wanted to make sure that you were okay Jeremy…is that so wrong?"

Jeremy's brow furrowed out of confusion. "You don't know me so why should you care about me?"He questioned, not really sure why the vampire before him gave a rat's ass about him.

Casey sighed as she slowly got up and moved towards him. It broke her heart that someone so young could feel so alone. "After what happened with Anna yesterday…I thought you might of needed someone to talk to." She explained in a soft tone.

Jeremy looked at her a little skeptically. "And you offered yourself up for that role?"

"Who better?" The hybrid teased but when she didn't get the response she was hoping for, she sighed again. "Look Jeremy, I may be a vampire but that shouldn't be a point against me." She reasoned as she started to guide him towards his bed to take a seat; he followed after a moment of hesitance.

"John says otherwise." He rebutted and it was obvious in his tone that he didn't agree with his uncle on the subject.

Casey snickered as Jeremy took a seat on his bed. "Well John doesn't know what I've been through since becoming a vampire."

He gave her an inquisitive stare when he noticed that her statement was laced in a disguised tone that he's been used to since his parents' death. That tone alone got him wanting to know more.

Noticing that she had captured his attention, Casey continued as she made her way back to her spot in Jeremy's desk chair. "Being a vampire doesn't automatically make you a monster. I mean there are humans out there that could be considered _more_ monstrous than vampires." She argued calmly and she was pleased to see that Jeremy was nodding his head in agreement. Taking that as her chance to move onto the reason she was checking on him in the first place, Casey slowly eased into the subject. "But that doesn't mean I'd wish this life on anyone." She ended with a pointed look at the teenager which resulted in him giving her a startled look.

Jeremy gulped nervously as he tried to figure out how Casey knew about his _suicide_ attempt the previous night. When he couldn't think of a way (because he didn't think that Elena would tell a stranger), he caved and asked her; "How'd you find out?"

"I think the better question would be _why_ did you want to become a vampire?" She deflected; she wasn't ready to reveal that she had discovered the news through many memory jumps. She only got the confirmation of it when she had guided him towards the bed moments before.

Jeremy sighed, realizing that he wasn't going to get out of talking about his intentions with this strange vampire. He rationalized that maybe talking to her would be easier since she was basically an outsider in the situation; she wasn't biased in a way. "When I heard Anna was dead, it was…it was just too much, you know. I wanted to just turn it off and Damon said that I could."

Casey nodded along with complete understanding on her face. "Well Damon's right, I mean, you can turn your emotions off but it comes with a price Jeremy. With no emotions, a vampire is driven by their most basic instincts. They become the worst portrayals that humans have about vampires. They become the monsters that they have always been perceived as." She inhaled deeply while noticing that she had Jeremy's undivided attention which she was thrilled for because that was the point of her visit. When she heard that he was unsuccessful in becoming a vampire, she knew that she had to try to change his mind on the subject; he was too young to die. The hybrid exhaled slowly before she continued on with her pseudo-lecture. "And it doesn't last. Eventually that switch will turned back on and you would be flooded with _all_ the emotions you've repressed and worse because they'd be magnified once you're a vampire. If you think you feel bad now Jeremy, you're going to feel a thousand times worse as a vampire and turning the emotions off won't make them go away; they will fester until that moment when the switch flips back on."

He didn't know what to say. Anna had told him things but she never went into depth of what it would be like. She always focused on the positives while she ignored the negatives; she always focused on the fact that they would be living out eternity together. With Casey, Jeremy came to realize that she wasn't holding back with him when it came to information. With everyone else, he always felt babied because he was never told anything upfront or someone else had made the decision for him when it came to these things. Yet here was Casey, a complete stranger, telling him the truth no matter how ready or not he was to hear it. It was as if she thought he was ready to make the decision for himself and it was because of that did Jeremy come to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, _this_ vampire wasn't so bad after all…even if she was associated with Damon in some way.

"Why become a vampire then? Why continue your life as one if it's such a horrible existence?" Jeremy ended up asking a few moments later. He hadn't really noticed that the lull in conversation was because Casey was giving him a chance to absorb all that she was telling him.

Casey gave the teenager a sad smile as she decided to tell him the same thing that she had told Elena back in Buffalo. "I never wanted to be a vampire Jeremy. I had a family; a loving husband, three adorable children and a brother who'd do anything to make me smile. But fate had other plans for me and instead of ending my life after turning, I decided to learn how to embrace my new life so that I could keep my family safe from a far." She stated while remembering her first loving family. She had watched them live out their lives to the fullest but whenever she thought of them, her mind took her back to before she became a vampire, when her children were just mere toddlers.

Jeremy sat stunned in his seat as he processed the vampire's confession. _She was married? She had kids? _Those two questions kept running through his mind before the rest of her words registered in his brain.

As if she was waiting for his mind to fully process her words, Casey waited before she continued. "I chose to make the best out of my situation and I've _learned_ so much because of it." She emphasized in hopes that he'd get the message that it had taken her decades to get to where she is now when it came to being a vampire.

"Well if you could be human again, would you?" He curiously asked while making eye contact with her. With all her talks about embracing her new life and what she left behind in her old one, Jeremy wanted a concrete answer to the age old question when it came to vampires.

A soft smile instantly appeared on Casey's face. "In a heartbeat." She answered with no hesitation as she thought about the mission she and Damon had been trying to fulfill over the years.

The hybrid then couldn't help but wonder if she should mention it to Jeremy. He seemed like he could keep things to himself and if she could convince him about it, it may give him insight into Damon's predicament and ultimately, Jeremy may be helpful when it comes to Elena realizing her true match.

Making a choice that she knew she shouldn't even consider, the hybrid decided to take the risk. "Can you keep a secret Jeremy?"

Jeremy quirked an eyebrow at the black-haired beauty. "Do you really have to ask me that? I mean I did keep my knowledge about vampires to myself for quite some time." He quipped as a smirk slowly formed on his lips.

Casey laughed before she scooted the desk chair closer to Jeremy so that even if she whispered, he could still hear her. She thought it gave the atmosphere a more secretive vibe even though she knew that no one would be eavesdropping on them unless they walked into the room. "Alright, it's just…I've been searching for a way to be human again since I first turned."

Jeremy's eyes widened. "Is that even possible?" He asked in a baffled tone.

She shrugged her shoulders. "My research says it is."

Jeremy exhaled deeply as he fell back on his bed. He stared at the ceiling a bit (and he was thankful that Casey just let him) before he sprung back up again to face her. "Anna never mentioned it. She's always saying how me being a vampire is a way for us to be together forever." He rambled quickly and he knew it was a bit…irrelevant but he was glad that Casey still took the time to answer him, no matter how weird his questions seem to be.

"Not many vampires go looking for a way to turn back into a human. They think it's a one way street and usually it is but…" Casey explained before she trailed off at the end as movement in the room next door caught her attention.

"But?" Jeremy pressed in hopes that the vampire would continue with her thought but when he noticed that wasn't going to happen, he started to get nervous. He soon noticed the tense posture she was now in while she had this concentrated look on her face and Jeremy instantly knew that he did not like this look one bit. "What is it?"

Casey's brow furrowed out of confusion. "Damon's talking to Elena." She didn't understand why he was here and by the vibe she was getting off of her brother, she knew that something was off with him.

"What?" Jeremy was immediately on his feet and heading towards the joint bathroom he shared with Elena.

The hybrid was so lost in her analytical thoughts on Damon that she hadn't noticed Jeremy's movement before it was too late to stop him from instigating a scenario that she would only have mere seconds to stop.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

**Moments Earlier:**

After draining his alcohol stash and wallowing in his self-pity, Damon managed to find himself in Elena's room; sitting on her bed as he waited for her to finish up in the bathroom. It was as if his subconscious didn't think he had suffered enough for the day and that dealing with his crap with Elena would be a _great_ way to end the horrendous day.

_Stupid subconscious. _

Since he was too intoxicated to think rationally, the vampire wasn't able to disappear before he heard a gasp on his right. He didn't look at her; not when she was thanking him for looking out for her and Jeremy or when she showed concern for him when she realized that he was drunk. He didn't want to care, he wanted to remain detached when it came to the situation but his intoxicated mind wouldn't let him as memories of the last two days kept rolling through his brain. He _needed_ answers. He knew Katherine's…and now he needed Elena's. If he was sober, he wouldn't even breech the subject because he would have the warnings yelling at him in his mind to stop but being intoxicated meant that those warnings were easily put on mute as he looked up to face the brunette that has plagued his mind.

"You are surprised that I thought you would kiss me back? You _can't_ imagine that I'd believe you would want to?" Damon voiced out of the blue yet Elena could hear the confusion and confliction in his voice.

She didn't want to talk about this, not when he was drunk no less but he interrupted her pleas to stop as he continued to dig his own emotional grave, if you will.

"That what we've been doing here _means_ something." He continued as he stared up at her confused expression. "You are the liar Elena. There is something going on between the two of us and you know it." He fiercely declared before he stood up and ventured towards her. She was too stunned to utter a reply so the vampire just continued, using his drunken state to further a conversation his self-preservation would have never let him make. "You're lying to me, you're lying to Stefan and most of all…you're lying to _yourself_. I can prove it."

Before Elena could process what was happening, Damon had crashed his lips onto hers. While she fought him on the kiss, that brief moment of contact between their lips was enough to turn Damon's world upside down. Even in his drunken state, he could feel that things were changing for him. Before he can further explore this newfound feeling, Elena managed to break free of the kiss.

"What's wrong with you?" She questioned in a panic as she tightened her grip around Damon's wrists but he continued to run them through her hair.

Damon ignored her questions as he gazed down at her. The feeling was shifting a bit inside of him and not having a clearer mind to think of the reason, he pushed for a confession. "Am I lying about this?"

Elena pushed the vampire back a bit when he tried to lean into her again; she didn't know what to do to get out of this situation. "Stop, you're better than this, come on!"

Damon scoffed as he went for another kiss again; all he could think about was the things he _felt _while kissing her. It was a great change from feeling nothing. "That's where you're wrong."

Elena panicked again as she tried to get out of reach of Damon but he wouldn't let her go. When he wasn't trying to kiss her, she tried to reason with him as best she could. "I care about you. Listen to me, I care about you. I do but...I love Stefan, it's always going be Stefan." She hated having to stay that to him but he needed to hear it, she wasn't going to let history repeat itself.

The vampire felt that shift happen again within him before it registered in his mind that she had just repeated the dreadful words that Katherine had said to him earlier that evening; _it's always going to be Stefan_. Damon's anger started to grow as questions of self-worth kept plaguing his mind.

Before this conversation could take another wrong turn, Jeremy's voice interrupted them from the bathroom's threshold. "What's going on?"

Elena made more of an effort to separate herself from Damon before she tried to dismiss her brother from dealing with a drunken Damon. "Nothing Jeremy…just go back to bed."

Jeremy wasn't convinced as he stayed rooted to his spot.

Too far gone to realize what he was doing and remembering that Jeremy had wanted to become a vampire, Damon immediately blurred across the room to pin Jeremy to the wall.

As Elena shouted for Damon to stop, everyone was stunned to see that Casey had planted herself between Damon and Jeremy. While Damon's hands were still around Jeremy's neck, Casey was pressed between them while her hands gripped over Damon's wrists tightly. At the moment the movement was enough to delay Damon but if Casey had realized what was happening sooner, she would have gotten between her brother and the human before contact was made.

"Damon don't!" Casey warned in a whisper as she stared into her brother's crazed eyes which were focused on Jeremy. With her hands on his wrists, Casey _knew_ why her brother was acting like this. Not only was he rejected twice in one night in practically the same way but he had unknowingly activated a connection that was premature which was messing with his emotional state even more.

Jeremy gulped as best he could when it didn't look like Damon was releasing him anytime soon. The last time Jeremy saw Damon anywhere close to this state was when they found out that Katherine wasn't in the tomb.

Casey tightened her grip even further as she tried to pry Damon's hands off of Jeremy's neck. "Damon _think_ about what you are doing. I know you are overwhelmed at the moment but don't let that control you. _Don't_ let Katherine's words or Elena's words drive you to make a move that you will regret. Damon _please_…you are _so_ close…don't let this set you back." Casey pleaded in a whisper yet Jeremy was able to hear it, making him all aware of how much Casey truly cared for the crazed vampire.

Damon blinked a couple of times, allowing Casey's words to take over his mind, before his hold on Jeremy loosened. To Elena, it didn't look like he had moved but the others knew differently.

"Where's Derek?" Damon asked quietly yet his voice had a rough quality to it. He needed to speak to Derek immediately.

"Damon." Casey said her brother's name in the typical warning way one does when they don't want to say too much.

Damon finally turned to face his sister, leaving his arms where they were even though he knew that it was causing Elena to panic again. "I just want to talk to him."

Casey's eyes softened as she saw the pleading in his eyes. "You can talk to _me_."

Damon sighed. "I will _after_ I talk to Derek. Now where is he?" Noticing her hesitance, he sighed again in defeat. "Casey, I'm not going to hurt him…I wouldn't do that to you." He reassured his sister because no matter what state he was in, he'd _never_ do anything to hurt her in any way.

Jeremy remained silent throughout this whole exchange but his views on this Salvatore vampire were slowly changing.

Casey nodded. She wasn't scared that Damon would do something to Derek; she just wished that he could confide in her on this. Knowing that _that_ won't be the case for the time being, she caved. "He should be back in my room by now.

Damon shakes his head in acknowledge before he lowered himself towards Jeremy, ignoring the panic vibe he was getting from Elena that went with her increased heart rate. "Word of advice kid, if you question _who_ you should trust, _always_ go with Casey. Experience shows that she is _always_ right in the end. Remember that." He advised the human before he blurred out of the room.

Casey sighed when the pressure on her body was alleviated. She took a step away from Jeremy before she turned to him; he was rubbing at his neck where Damon's hands were once at.

"Now can I ask you if you're okay?" The hybrid quipped with a hand on her hip.

The boy released a light laugh before he was engulfed in his worried sister's arms as she started bombarding him with questions on his well-being.

*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*

Damon stormed into the boarding house like he was a man on a mission as he yelled out for Derek.

It didn't take long for Derek to emerge from the kitchen with a half-eaten Poptart in his mouth. "What?"

Damon scowled. "Casey's room…now!" The vampire demanded before he sped down to the basement to grab a couple of blood bags; he need to sober up immediately.

By the time Damon blurred back up to the second floor, Derek was waiting for Casey's door to unlock itself. After adding his own blood into the mix, Damon was granted access into his sister's room after Derek had entered. As Derek found a seat at Casey's desk, Damon didn't hesitate in ripping open a blood bag and sucking down its contents.

Derek whistled. "Geez Damon, what's up with you?" He questioned while keeping his distance from the feeding vampire. He remember how Casey would get like this at times of stress for her and while the motions were similar, Derek wasn't sure if the reasoning behind it was the same for Damon as it was for Casey.

"I screwed up." Damon admitted after tossing the first blood bag away and going for the second one.

Derek's brow furrowed out of confusion; it wasn't often that the vampire would openly admit that he messed up so the human immediately thought of the worst case scenarios. "How exactly?"

Damon groaned as he finished off the second blood bag. "I kissed Elena." He admitted while looking Derek in the eyes and by the way the human's eyes dilated, the vampire knew that his message was received loud and clear.

Derek's jaw dropped before he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind; "Oh fuck."

Damon groaned as he thought; _exactly what I'm thinking._

* * *

><p>*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*DS*EG*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN #3:** And there you have it! I definitely had fun with the alternations I included in the season 2 premiere. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I had writing it out. I'm definitely excited about the Jeremy/Casey bonding since I do have platonic plans for them. I do apologize if written canon scenes seems redundant in the story but when it comes to those scenes, they are either story markers for you or I planned to alter it to fit my story better (like how Casey ended up stopping Damon from snapping Jeremy's neck). **So what did you guys think?** What are your thoughts about Casey meeting Mason? About Casey's talk with Jeremy or her interference in Elena's room? Or how about Damon's need to talk to Derek (which will be further dealt with in the next chapter as well as the mention of returned humanity...and the reason behind this story's title). **Either way, please leave me a review! :D  
><strong>

**A/N #4**: Just curious but has anyone watched the Comic Con panel for VD this year? I only watched the re-edited trailer for season 4 and the few new scenes add in seem exciting (especially the Salvatore confrontation) and I'm about to find the panel video. I'm just wondering what you thought of it or if you even search for stuff like that. Either way, **have a great day** (whether its still today or its now tomorrow for you).

* * *

><p><strong>Originally Published: <strong>July 23, 2012


	11. Ch 11: This Wasn't Supposed To Happen

"**A Journey To Find A Lost Soul"**

**Chapter 11: This Wasn't Supposed To Happen  
>(The Return - Part 3  Brand New World - Part 1)_  
><em>**

**A/N #1: **And I'm back...for now! Thankfully, I've had this chapter done for a few weeks but I really wanted to post it today in celebration of the season 4 VD premiere tonight (I'm so excited for it and my thoughts will be posted on my _Livejournal_ account after it airs)!

**A/N #2:** Thank you everyone who's still sticking with this story! I know that the updates are too spread out but your support means the world to me so thank you readers, reviewers, alerters and favoriters for sticking with me. You guys are amazing! Now go enjoy the chapter and remember, I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors or any run-on sentences.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own _Vampire Diaries_ or _Life With Derek_. They belong to their respective owners (I thank them for creating them in the first place).

* * *

><p><strong>Full<strong> **Summary**: Instead of visiting a dear friend alone, Damon takes along Elena just when a rogue vampire flips her car over [1x11]. As time goes on, Damon learns that it might not be Katherine that he needs in order to gain what he's missed most in the world. Will Damon finally get the ending he's been waiting for since he turned or are there just too many obstacles for him to handle? [Crossover yet VD-centric]

**Remember: **For _Vampire Diaries_, this is right after the episode where Elena sleeps with Stefan for the first time just before finding out that she's an exact physical replica to Katherine Pierce.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Vampire Diaries <strong>_**Timeline: **starts off at the beginning of Episode #1x11 – 'Bloodlines' (with focus only on Damon and Elena)

_**Life With Derek **_**Timeline****: **AU (due to specific changes) but it takes place when Casey and Derek (21 – 4th Year) are at Queen's University

* * *

><p><strong>LAST TIME:<strong>

Damon shook his head in acknowledgement before he lowered himself towards Jeremy, ignoring the panic vibe he was getting from Elena that went with her increased heart rate. "Word of advice kid, if you question _who_ you should trust, _always_ go with Casey. Experience shows that she is _always_ right in the end. Remember that." He advised the human before he blurred out of the room.

Casey sighed when the pressure on her body was alleviated. She took a step away from Jeremy before she turned to him; he was rubbing at his neck where Damon's hands were once at.

"Now can I ask you if you're okay?" The hybrid quipped with a hand on her hip.

The boy released a light laugh before he was engulfed in his worried sister's arms as she started bombarding him with questions on his well-being.

***VD*LWD*VD***

As Derek found a seat at Casey's desk, Damon didn't hesitate in ripping open a blood bag and sucking down its contents.

Derek whistled. "Geez Damon, what's up with you?" He questioned while keeping his distance from the feeding vampire. He remembered how Casey would get like this at times of stress for her and while the motions were similar, Derek wasn't sure if the reasoning behind it was the same for Damon as it was for Casey.

"I screwed up." Damon admitted after tossing the first blood bag away and going for the second one.

Derek's brow furrowed out of confusion; it wasn't often that the vampire would openly admit that he messed up so the human immediately thought of the worst case scenarios. "How exactly?"

Damon groaned as he finished off the second blood bag. "I kissed Elena." He admitted while looking Derek in the eyes and by the way the human's eyes dilated, the vampire knew that his message was received loud and clear.

Derek's jaw dropped before he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind; "Oh fuck."

Damon groaned as he thought; _exactly what I'm thinking._

* * *

><p>*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>The Day After Founder's Day (Thursday February 25, 2010):<strong>

Damon scoffed as he tossed his second blood bag aside. "Yeah, you're telling me."

"How did this happen?" Derek questioned after a few false starts.

Damon shrugged as he headed for the bathroom to make sure he was a clean eater. "I was drunk." He confessed soberly as the blood did its job.

"I thought so." Derek mumbled to himself but when he felt Damon's eyes on him instead of being out of the room, Derek quickly backtracked with his reasoning. "You wouldn't have done it if you were sober because you would have listened to Casey's warnings about it." He pointed out lightly while the vampire quickly checked to make sure he was blood-free before he headed back to where he originally was.

"I get it. I screwed up and I'm paying the price for it." Damon snapped as he made his way towards the bed before he unceremoniously dropped down on top of it.

Realizing that Damon wasn't going to move anytime soon, Derek sighed. "How are you feeling right now?" He cautiously asked, hoping that the fact that Damon sought him out would mean that the vampire was willing to answer his questions.

"I'm feeling things that I shouldn't be feeling given the situation I am in." Damon admitted monotonously as he stared up at the ceiling. Normally he'd deflect on the topic of his feelings but _he's_ the one that went looking for Derek so he knew he couldn't prolong the discussion. He was still rattled that he was feeling more panicked than usual moments before when he was in Elena's room.

"I'm guessing that's the connection forming within you." Derek speculated out loud before he started on another Poptart.

Damon groaned; he didn't want his suspicions to be true. "Does it go away?"

Derek shook his head, realizing too late that Damon wasn't looking at him so he cleared his throat before he answered. "No, I've just gotten use to its presence but it doesn't overpower my own. It's like a phantom feeling." He explained as he remembered when he had completed the connection and how overwhelming the emotions he felt were. Not only was he feeling his own emotions but he was feeling Casey's as well. Over time, it got to the point that Casey's emotions were just an instinct feeling for him (and the same would be said about her feeling his emotions). Now without looking at her, he could instantly tell if she was sad, happy, hungry, stressed and every other possible emotion out there before she entered the same room as him. Sure that kind of instinct would develop for couples after so much time together but the intensity of it was how it differed. It freaked him out when he felt her bloodlust for the first time but it wasn't a strong enough feeling for him to act on it (thank heavens for that).

"But you've _completed_ the connection, I haven't." Damon complained as he sat up on the bed, looking at Derek and his empty Poptart box.

Derek grimaced; an incomplete connection meant an indefinite adjustment period while Damon was subjected to Elena's feelings while she felt none of his. "I'm sorry to hear about that."

Damon groaned as he fell back onto the bed. "This is all screwed up. It was supposed to be _Katherine_."

"But it makes more sense that it's _Elena_."Derek thought out loud as he thought back to all the facts he learned from Casey about the soulmate matches.

Damon propped himself back up as he gave the human a narrowed look. "Why?"

"It's _vampire/human_ thing Damon or did you forget that part?" Derek mused with a chuckle, which earned him a groaning vampire that fell flat on the bed once again.

The concept of soulmates was something that Casey had been researching extensively on after finding a spell in her mother's grimoire. After this discovery, Casey was determined to find her soulmate so that she could _reverse_ her vampirism and gain back her humanity. With the spell came so many other complex spells and rules that went with that _one_ spell since not anyone could have it done on them; one spell even allowed for the vampire to have a glimpse of what their soulmate looked like. While vampires were seen as the darkest parts of humanity, it was believed that true love would be the key to breaking any curse. Since soulmates were associated with true love, the main spell was geared to work for a vampire and their _human_ soulmate. Souls of a vampire/human match connect in the same manner as a human/human match; their souls are still bound to only one other soul and no matter how many times a soul gets resurrected into another life, that soul will always be matched to the soul it was connected to in the past. Human souls can move forward after they die and wait to be resurrected into another life but a vampire doesn't have that pleasure as their human soul gets locked inside the vampire version of its former self.

"I mean, how else is a vampire supposed to prove themselves if their other half is already a vampire? It kind of defeats the purpose." Derek continued with a small chuckle.

The purpose of the spell being geared for vampire/human matches is to ensure genuine emotion (since two vampires could easily switch their emotions off and fake it). If the human soulmate is able to fall in love with their vampire without any outside influences (and if the vampire allowed themselves to fall in love in the first place), then it was viewed as the vampire being declared worthy of having their humanity restored to them. Having their humanity restored meant no more bloodlust, no more killer urges, no more vervain-allergy and no more sun-sensitivity. To Casey, that was all that she wanted; a way to rid herself of the bloodlust and the killer thoughts that came with it. Once she learned of the possibility, she was determined to complete the spell for herself and for Damon (who was on board with the plan once she told him about it shortly after his transition).

Damon moved so that he was now glaring at the human. "Well you're just chalk full of answers aren't you?" He snarked back before he moved to have his back against the bed's headboard.

Derek held his hands up as if he was surrendering. "Hey, _you_ came to _me_ remember."

"I'm starting to regret that decision." Damon mumbled to himself as he got comfortable on Casey's bed.

The human tilted his head to the side a bit, a quizzical look plastered on his face. "_Why_ did you come to me?" He asked because to him, it seemed more logical to go to Casey when it came to this soulmate stuff. He's had a couple of _years_ to understand it while Casey's had _decades_ to understand the logistics behind the concept; he actually wouldn't be surprised if his girlfriend had some of the theory published somewhere.

The vampire shrugged his shoulders before he crossed his arms over his chest. "Because going to my sister would be awkward."

Derek raised an eyebrow at Damon. "Since when has that ever stopped you?"

Damon chuckled. "Good point but I'm not enough of a dick to ask my sister about her boyfriend's past love life."

"My what?" Derek asked incredulously as he stared the vampire down.

Damon smirked. "You heard me." When he got no reply, he sighed. "I know you loved a girl before Casey." He elaborated, in hopes that Derek took the hint and continue from there.

Derek tensed a bit as he remembered his time with Sally (which felt like a lifetime ago, now that he thought about it). "I did."

Damon sighed, realizing that he'd have to spell out his intentions for this conversation. "I just want to know how it compares to what you have with Casey."

Derek's brow furrowed out of confusion. "Why?"

The vampire groaned, realizing that he'd have to reveal more than he wanted to if he wanted honest answers from Derek. "Because when I kissed Katherine earlier, I felt absolutely nothing while I remember feeling something for her when I was human."

Derek's jaw dropped; at this rate, it was going to unhinge itself if he kept this up. "You what?"

Damon's eyes narrowed at Derek; he was tempted to smack some sense into the younger man but the vampire had promised his sister that he wouldn't harm her boyfriend. "I also kissed Katherine tonight now focus! Does that have anything to do with the spell?"

"I wouldn't think so." Derek said after a few moments of thinking it over before he continued, "Casey was still a vampire when I dated and fell for Sally. My feelings for her were real but they are _nothing_ when compared to the feelings I now have for Casey. Hell, anything I felt towards Casey since I met her has always been more intense than what I felt towards anyone else." Derek rambled as he remembered his first serious relationship back in grade eleven with Sally, a coworker at the restaurant he worked at. They ended their relationship when Sally was moving to the west coast to attend the University of British Columbia and while Derek had this crazy idea of following her out there to be with her, he ultimately stayed behind so that he could finish his senior year with Casey and their friends. Casey was actually the one to encourage Derek to first go for it with Sally and this was after he had learned of her vampire secret (yet before he learned that _he_ was Casey's match). Casey was the one to get Derek to see reason with his impromptu idea to follow Sally across the country. Come to think of it, Derek hadn't thought of Sally in quite some time.

"And after kissing Casey?" Damon asked which brought Derek's thoughts back to the present.

Derek gave Damon a perplexing look, as if the question didn't register to him. "What do you mean? I haven't kissed anyone but Casey since we've been together. I never felt the need to kiss anyone else besides her." And it was true, after kissing Casey for the first time; he never felt that desire he once had to try something new with some other girl. When he kissed Casey for the first time, he understood afterwards why she kept delaying that step for them. It infuriated him at first because he could do all sorts of things to his girlfriend in the meantime and yet she wouldn't let him plant a simple kiss to her lips until _he_ was deemed ready. Thinking back now, Derek knew that the delay was definitely the right move.

Damon groaned as his head fell into his hands. "Oh fuck."

"It'll all work out Damon. Casey's visions always do." Derek said in a reassuring tone as he gave the vampire a sheepish grin.

The vampire's head snapped up as he glared at the human. "Yeah and until then, I have to watch _her_ be all lovey-dovey with _my brother_!"

Derek grimaced; for the tone and the situation. "Alright, so you don't have the best circumstances but at least you've found her, right?"

Damon continued to glare, not entirely pleased with that response.

Derek sighed. "Well look at it this way, you either stay and be there for her _or_ you leave town and in the care of your brother." He listed off which only earned him a growl from the vampire. Derek gulped. "I take it option two is out of the question."

Before the vampire could argue, he was interrupted by the entrance of his hybrid sister. "There is no need to growl brother. Derek is just speaking his mind on the situation." Casey defended as she made her way towards them. She had only caught Derek listing off the options while the door to her enchanted room was opening.

"How permanent is this part of the connection?" Damon asked his sister immediately, as if he hadn't been reprimanded just now for growling.

Casey sighed. "Your answer is already in your question Damon."

Damon let loose a frustrated groan as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know what I mean!"

Casey walked towards her bookshelf to retrieve her hidden grimoire that had the soulmate spells. "Fine, once established, the connection will be more evident to you until her half is made. Once that is done, any residual feelings you are getting from her will fade to a point that it feels like it's a part of you." She explained while handing her brother the grimoire with the page marked for him.

"Like a phantom feeling." Derek piped in.

Casey smiled at her boyfriend/soulmate match. "Exactly."

Damon rolled his eyes as he thumbed through the grimoire. "And for that to happen, _she_ has to kiss me willingly with no outside influences…right?" He asked while looking up from under his eyelashes.

Casey nodded. "Yes."

"Which _won't_ happen while she's with Saint Stefan." Damon grumbled as he continued to read over the spells' specifications.

"I seriously don't get what's so great about him." Derek piped in, having heard Damon's grumbles from where he sat. When the Salvatores looked towards him for some form of clarification, he continued with a shrug. "I mean he makes Keener-Casey look fun."

"Keener-Casey?" Damon asked with a smirk as he looked between the couple. He was amused when he noticed that his sister was blushing.

"It's when I'm more focused on work than anything else." Casey explained shyly as she rubbed the back of her neck.

Damon snickered. "Really? I just called you a bookworm and eventually, an encyclopedia of anything I wanted to know." He teased because really, if he ever needed to know anything, he'd just go to Casey and ask her instead of wasting his own time trying to learn what it was he was trying to find.

"That works too." Derek stated as he nodded in agreement while Damon turned his attention back to the book in his lap.

Casey sighed. "Are you two done now?" She asked, referring to their slight teasing at her expense.

"I need more blood before I call it a night." Damon declared as he shut the grimoire closed. He was still hungry for the red substance.

"That's probably best." Casey said while Derek nodded in agreement.

"You should do the same; you haven't slept since you've arrived." Damon advised, alluding to their all-nighter brainstorm the previous night, as he got up from her bed.

"Sweet _dreams_ Damon." Casey wished her brother as he approached her to leave a kiss to her temple. He wished the same sentiment to her in return as he had gotten her message before he backed off and left the room.

While the trio slept that night, they would be brainstorming through their dreams as both vampires would meet up in Derek's unconscious mind so that he could be included. The mystery around the Lockwood family ended up being the topic of discussion during the whole night.

Little did they know that while they were having their little mind meeting, Katherine was making the first move in her game against the Salvatores; killing Caroline Forbes.

* * *

><p>*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Next Day (Friday, February 26, 2010):<strong>

Despite their minds being active as they thought up of a game plan throughout the night, Casey, Damon and Derek were well rested by the time the sun came up. Although Derek had a little trouble getting up (he was never a morning person), the trio managed to find themselves down in the kitchen at the same time.

"So what's the plan for today?" Damon greeted the couple with his back turned to them. He had gotten downstairs first so he immediately started to brew up a pot of coffee before heating up a few cups of blood for him and his sister.

Casey and Derek headed straight for the breakfast nook where a cup of their specific beverage was waiting for them. They both gave their thanks before they consumed the drink.

"I need to make a stop at the Gilbert's to give this to Jeremy." Casey supplied as she placed a bag of vervain on the counter in front of her as well as a bracelet with some vervain interwoven into it that she had magically created while Derek was getting ready earlier. "Did I mention before that you really spooked him last night Damon." She continued with a pointed look at her brother before she took a few more sips of her morning blood.

Damon rolled his eyes. **"**Yes and once again, it serves him right for wanting to be like us."

Casey sighed. "No more attacks against him alright? He's been through enough."

Damon held his hands up as if he were surrendering. "Fine but checking up on baby Gilbert can't be all you're doing today."

"Tyler sent me an apology text before inviting me to hang out with him and Mason." Derek added in even though his focus was solely on waking up with the help of his coffee. Last night Derek kind of walked in on an emotional meltdown between Tyler, Carol and Mason when all he really wanted to do was say his goodbyes since he was one of the last people still there. Derek wasn't really expecting an apology from his cousin when it came to what he witnessed last night; he can't blame Tyler for being pissed at the fact that his father was dead.

Damon grinned. "Do it. See if you can dig up any more information on the guy."He strongly suggested before gulping down the last of his bloody drink.

"Is that really necessary?" Casey questioned, not really seeing why they needed to put themselves in unnecessary dangers when she had all the proof she needed from her one handshake with Mason.

"I want proof." Damon deadpanned as he looked his sister straight into her eyes.

Casey rolled her eyes. "Like always." She mumbled which earned her an amused eyebrow quirk from Damon. The hybrid couldn't help but relent after that. "Fine then what are _you_ going to do?"

"I'm going to hit up Carol for some information." Damon stated with a smirk before he continued. "You can never have enough knowledge over someone."

"And what about Katherine?" Derek asked while looking between the immortal siblings. They had completely ignored anything that was directly Katherine-related last night; Derek was a little worried about bringing it up while he was still nursing his coffee and nibbling on the last package of Poptarts.

Damon tensed at the name of his sire so Casey spoke up instead. "We'll be on the lookout. Her slower heartbeat is what immediately separates her from Elena when she's not already vamping out." She explained as she referred to how she and her brother would tell the doppelgangers apart before she added on to it; "Plus Damon will know just by the connection and you'll know by your ring."

Damon absently nodded along before the last part of Casey's statement sunk in. "Wait…what about his ring?" He asked as he watched Derek twirl the current ring that was around his right ring finger. It resembled Damon's ring in a way when it came to the stone and the intricate designs but the complexity was like the ring that Jeremy had recently acquired from his uncle (in other words, it wasn't as flashy and it looked like a modern-day piece when it really wasn't).

Casey smiled. "I spelled it before coming down here. It's supposed to heat up when in the presence of Katherine. If Derek is with Elena, then the ring will not change." She explained easily since she had given the same explanation to Derek after his shower which was when she performed the additional spell to his ring.

Due to the lapis lazuli stone in the ring, Casey is able to cast many spells onto the ring and one of the main ones is the resurrection spell (which is a variation of the spell the Gilbert rings have). Another spell was cast onto the ring afterwards to ensure that only Derek was able to take the ring off (the same spell was placed on Derek's vervain bracelet). Originally this new spell was meant to help detect all supernatural beings but with Derek being friends around a few _beings_, that spell wouldn't be helpful so Casey modified it to be specific to Katherine's presence. All she needed was something of Katherine's to help with the specification and while going into Damon's room to grab something would have worked, the hybrid was all the more pleased to use Stefan's little portrait of Katherine that she had found while snooping through his empty room (he wasn't home so she figured why not).

Damon analyzed the ring once again and he was impressed when it didn't look any different than what it looked like the previous day. "Huh, maybe you should make more of those." He stated before he gave a meaningful look to his sister.

"I plan on it." She mumbled before she finished off her blood, grabbed the things she intended to give to Jeremy before she blew her boyfriend and her brother a kiss as she scurried out of the kitchen. "Talk to you boys later!" She called out before she blurred out of the boarding house.

Derek stared at where his girlfriend just was moments ago before he turned to the other vampire. "Does she plan on blurring everywhere or something because we came down here in _my_ car?" The human questioned with a raised eyebrow but all he got was a smirk from the vampire.

*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*

Casey knew she shouldn't be traveling like she was (blurring for all of Mystic Falls to see) but she just couldn't wait to get to Jeremy. The longer she waited meant more of an opportunity for Katherine to strike and that wasn't something the hybrid wanted. So instead of waiting for Derek to finish his Poptart-breakfast and to drive her to where she tracked Jeremy down to, she used her vampire speed to get to the high school (fortunately she only blurred passed places that no one was occupying at the moment). Once she was in the vicinities of the high school, it didn't take long for the hybrid to locate Jeremy, while also keeping in mind that Stefan, Elena and Bonnie were somewhere on the grounds. Before she knew it, the hybrid had a visual of Jeremy currently digging through his locker. Luckily for the hybrid, the hallway was relatively deserted so when the moment was perfect, Casey blurred to Jeremy's side.

"Feeling better today?" Casey questioned as she leaned against the lockers.

Jeremy cursed as he gripped his locker door tightly. "Shit Casey, don't do that." The teenager mumbled before he took a quick look around to see if anyone else noticed Casey. "What if someone sees you?"

Casey shrugged with a smirk. "Then they see me and I compel them to forget, which reminds me…" She trailed off before she turned and reached into her purse for the plastic baggie that contained the vervain-laced bracelet. "This is for you; never take it off." She explained as she handed the item to the teenager, who hesitated in accepting the gift as he analyzed the item. "It'll protect you from compulsion."

Jeremy nodded as he took a whiff of the bracelet; the smell wasn't much but he could tell that the bracelet was laced in something. "Thanks." He said as he put the bracelet on. "How does it work?"

Casey smiled as she took a step closer to Jeremy (she didn't want anyone to overhear their conversation). "Well it's made especially for you and it's got two functions to it. Like I said, it will protect you from compulsion due to the vervain that is interwoven into the strands." She explained while pointing to the vervain on his bracelet.

"Why vervain?"

"It's toxic to vampires. Not only does it keep them out of your head but it burns their skin and if ingested, the vampire is weakened to the point of unconsciousness depending on their age." Casey explained with ease as if she wasn't telling a human how to incapacitate her or one of her own kind.

Jeremy nodded in recognition. "Right, Anna mentioned that."

Casey gave a soft smile at the mention of her dead friend. "Exactly. Here is some extra vervain just to have on you or when you get a chance, slip it into something your aunt wears or something." The hybrid suggested as she pulled out another baggie that contained a few sprigs of the vervain plant and a little vial of liquid-vervain.

"Thanks now what's the second function? You said there was two." He asked while accepting the second baggie and wriggling his bracelet-clad wrist at the vampire.

"I did. You see the metal piece on the bracelet?" She said while pointing to the little gem; Jeremy nodded for her to continue. "Now just between us, I got a friend of mine to spell the bracelet so that the metal part heats up whenever Katherine is near you. If it is Elena that is near you, then the metal piece just remains at the temperature it is at right now."

Jeremy's eyes widened at the news as his gaze switched between the gem and the vampire. "Really? Like a doppelganger detector?"

Casey released a soft laugh at the name. "Precisely. I wouldn't put it past Katherine to try and pass herself off as Elena so this is just a precautionary measure for you. It's also spelled so that only _you_ can take the bracelet off yet I advise that you don't take it off."

Jeremy sighed out of relief before he gave the vampire a grateful smile; she had done so much for him in the past twenty-four hours alone. "Thank you Casey." There was a moment of silence between the two as Jeremy put away his newly acquired vervain stash before he breached a topic he wasn't sure he should touch. "How's Damon?"

Casey sighed as she turned to lean her shoulder against the lockers. "He's doing fine. He's sorting through some stuff but just to be safe, stay clear of him and if you can't, don't piss him off. We wouldn't want you to test drive that ring's power so soon after getting it now would we?" She warned as she glanced down at Jeremy's ring.

"No ma'am." Jeremy replied instantly as he took the warning to heart. He knew he should be pissed at Damon for almost killing him last night but something inside him told him to not judge too quickly when it came to Damon. Then again, Casey's attitude towards Damon last night could be another reason why this teenager was suddenly asking about the older vampire.

"Oh don't answer like that, it makes me sound old." Casey quipped but when she noticed the raised eyebrow look that Jeremy was giving her, the hybrid scoffed. "Oh shut up."

Jeremy laughed. "I didn't say anything."

Casey rolled her eyes as she shook her head but she did enjoy the fact that she got the teenager to laugh after everything he's been through in the last twenty-four hours alone.

"So are you here for the carnival prep?" Jeremy asked after getting back to unloading his backpack.

"Nope, I just came to see you."

Jeremy paused and placed a hand over his heart. "I'm honored."

Casey gave Jeremy a light smack on the shoulder for his smart-ass retort before she continued on with the conversation. "I'll probably come by and check it out tonight. Is that what today's plans are…carnival prep?"

Jeremy shrugged. "Pretty much. I don't like it but I don't really have a choice."

"You have a legit excuse to skip class and yet you _don't_ like it…how does that make sense?" Casey quipped before her eyes scanned the hallway once again; she's been repeating the motion every few moments since she arrived.

"Elena's taken over the organizational stuff since Caroline is still in the hospital." Jeremy stated a little glumly as he shoved the last of his things in his locker.

"I see. So is it safe to assume that you're still angry with your sister?" The hybrid softly asked since she knew it wasn't her place to intervene yet Jeremy needed someone to talk to about it.

Jeremy sighed as he turned to face the vampire. "You're not going to tell me to forgive her are you?"

"Would you listen?" The hybrid quipped yet when she didn't get a response she sighed. "Look Jeremy, I'm not going to tell you how to feel but you have to keep in mind that what Elena did was ultimately to protect you. She had good intentions and when she saw a way to ease your pain, she took it because no one wants to see someone they love in pain."

"I'll think about it." Jeremy said with a nod.

"That's all I ask." Casey said with a smile before something caught her eye at the end of the hallway. "Speaking of sisters, yours is coming this way." She informed the human only to have him tense at her words. She couldn't really blame him since she tensed up when she saw Stefan following close behind Elena.

The tension was thick between the quartet but luckily for Jeremy, he had a legit excuse to bail as he used his carnival commitments to his advantage. Elena wasn't all too thrilled about this but Casey took Jeremy's leave as her cue to escape before she said anything she'd regret (especially to Stefan). The hybrid made sure to leave an acceptable goodbye to the doppelganger before she took off. This ultimately left the youngest Salvatore to calm the confused doppelganger down before they returned to their assigned carnival preparations.

*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*

He didn't want to do this but he had to maintain appearances. If playing the part of a loyal founding family member was what he needed to do to get an _in_ to the Lockwoods then so be it which is where Damon was while Casey dealt with Jeremy.

Damon was listening to Carol talk about how she would be acting as mayor until the next election which then led to her offering Damon the spot of being head of the council. The vampire accepted immediately without being suspicious before they were interrupted by the arrival of Derek, Tyler and Mason.

While Carol droned on about how Mason wanted nothing to do with the council, Damon focused his vampire hearing on the conversation in the foyer, taking quick note that Derek had stepped out to grab some water for them. Damon couldn't help but feel relieved when Mason appeared to be asking Tyler the clinical type questions, especially when it came to his anger issues.

One thing the vampire knew for sure was that the new Lockwood in town _knew_ what was going on with his nephew.

*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*

After finishing off his informal meeting with Carol, Damon headed back to the boarding house with Derek trailing behind him in the Prince. After entering the boarding house together, Damon headed for the basement while Derek headed up the stairs for a much needed shower. He would have stayed to hang out with Tyler and Mason some more but he had excused himself by saying that he had to meet up with Casey before they headed for the carnival.

Once Damon grabbed what he needed from the basement, he went up and headed towards his alcohol trolley. He grabbed a glass before he emptied his blood bag into the glass tumbler. He just topped off the glass when he felt Stefan walk into the room. "Do you care for one?"

"What is Casey doing with Jeremy?" Stefan firmly asked while completely ignoring Damon's question.

"I'll take that as a no." Damon stated with an annoyed sigh before he took a much needed sip of his bloody drink.

Stefan glared at his brother. "Damon."

Damon rolled his eyes before licking the blood off his lips. "Would you relax…Jeremy is no way in danger when Casey is involved. She was just checking up on him. It's what she does."

Stefan shook his head; he didn't look convinced. "I find that hard to believe."

"You never could get it through your thick skull that Casey actually cares for people." Damon interjected before he moved to lounge on the couch. He took another sip of his drink before another thought came to him. "Why are you even here anyways? Shouldn't you be with your precious Elena?"

"In case you've forgotten, I live here too Damon." Stefan answered, purposefully leaving out why he wasn't with Elena. Stefan had originally went back to the boarding house to check on Damon to see if he was handling things well and if he's seen Katherine lately. Stefan hadn't seen their sire since the wake for Richard Lockwood.

"Oh I know yet I just figured that you'd keep your distance while Casey was here." Damon commented before he took another sip of the blood.

Stefan glared in disgust yet his eyes never left the bloody glass in Damon's hand. "And for how much longer would that be?" He said through gritted teeth which was the wrong move. Damon was so close in tossing his glass into the fire after hearing the obvious hatred in Stefan's tone.

"You know what…this _really_ needs to stop between you two." He declared as he stood up. "I mean I get why _we_ are always at odds with each other but Casey _never_ did anything to you so stop being such a jackass to her." He demanded so fiercely that if anyone were to walk in during that moment, they would immediately run out the door without a second thought. Damon didn't care if Stefan hated him because at times, he'd admit, he deserved such a response yet Damon refused to just sit back and have Stefan treat Casey like that…especially when she's never done anything wrong to him. When they were all human, Casey would always try to be friendly and inviting towards Stefan whenever they crossed paths yet Stefan always dismissed her as if she were beneath him, as if she was just some lousy servant that Giuseppe had been stuck with.

Stefan raised an eyebrow at his brother; he didn't want to be lectured, especially by Damon. "Are you done?"

"Unbelievable." Damon said with a scoff before he stalked towards Stefan; his glass left forgotten on the side table. "I'm always referred to as the dick brother yet you are the one that completely ignores his own sister." Damon finished while ending up right in front of Stefan's face.

"She's not my sister." Stefan declared unfazed under Damon's scrutiny.

Damon tsked while remaining in his staring contest with Stefan. "No matter how many times you say it, it's not going to change the fact that she is." There was no argument in the statement, they both knew that.

Before Stefan could say anything, the brothers were interrupted.

"Am I interrupting something?" Casey questioned from the doorway as she looked between both her brothers. She could immediately see the rigid postures they both held; she had a feeling it was for two separate reasons.

Stefan didn't say anything. He took Casey's presence as his cue to leave so the youngest Salvatore blurred up to his room. He grabbed what he needed before he blurred out to his car.

Damon rolled his eyes as he listened for the receding sound of Stefan's car. "How much did you hear?" He asked as he went to retrieve his glass; he still had some blood in it.

Casey bit her lip as she slowly ventured into the room. "You didn't have to do that you know." She said; quickly bypassing his question yet still staying on topic.

Damon shrugged yet his back was still towards her. "I know."

Casey decided to go with a different approach. "Did you have your fun?" She quipped with a little smirk.

Damon chuckled as he turned to look at her. "As much as I'm going to get when it comes to our brooding brother." He said with a smirk. He offered his blood to her but she refused with a shake of her head. He instantly gulped the rest of it down before he continued on with their conversation. "Did you have fun with baby Gilbert?"

Casey giggled while she nodded (she knew that's all he really wanted to know on the subject) before she decided to give him a question of her own. "Did you get your proof about the Lockwoods?"

Damon groaned. "It's not enough."

Casey sighed as she made her way towards the couch. "I already told you the possibilities." She said in reference to their dream-time-brainstorming.

"And they are ridiculous." Damon said with a scoff. He may be a vampire yet the things Casey had said during their brainstorm were pretty unbelievable. _There is no way there are werewolves in Mystic Falls. Hell if there were such a thing as werewolves, I think I would have run into them at some point. _He thought to himself as he leaned against his little trolley of beverages.

"They are only ridiculous because you haven't come across them before." Casey argued back with a roll of her eyes; this was another reason why she never told him about them. Damon has always been a realist yet it wasn't until Casey proved to him that she was a witch that he opened his mind up more to the idea of there being a hidden supernatural world. Even then, he still needed proof for some things.

Damon sighed; these particular points on the topic were getting too old for him. "I still don't think that you have because if you did, you would have told me."

"If I told you before, you would have done exactly what you are doing now." She retorted with a look that said 'you know I'm right'.

"All I want is proof." Damon said with an innocent pout as if doing that would let her slide towards his line of thinking on the topic.

Casey shook her head. "Well the proof you want is bound to get us killed."

All playfulness was gone from Damon's demeanor as he looked straight at her. "I won't let that happen." He seriously declared.

"You can't guarantee something like that when werewolves are involved." She said with a sigh.

A slow smirk started to make its way across Damon's face; that sounded like a challenge to him. "Werewolf or not, I'm going to get my proof."

She rolled her eyes as she stood up and made her way towards him. "You are insufferable when you are like this, you know that?" She stated with a raised eyebrow at her brother before she moved to make herself a quick drink.

Damon laughed. "Oh I know yet you love me anyways." He quipped out of amusement as he gave her shoulder a little nudge.

Casey rolled her eyes once again yet she placed a quick kiss on Damon's cheek before she blurred up to her room with her drink in hand. It was time for her to shower and get ready for the carnival that night. She also missed her boyfriend too.

* * *

><p>*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN #3:** And there you go...my ending to 2x01 and my beginning to 2x02. I've tried to make references to the canon timeline when it came to these 'added/altered' scenes so I hope you all enjoyed them. So what do you think about the soulmate concept? I hope it makes sense but if not, just PM me for a clarification or ask me in a review and I'll answer as best I can without spoiling anything. Either way, the soulmate concept is why I named this story how I did. What did you think about the little Casey/Jeremy? I'll tell you write now that I enjoy writing them so their friendship will definitely grow as the story progresses (only platonic feelings between them). **I hope I hear what was your favorite part in a review!** If you want, you can also add your premiere thoughts if you read this after it airs.

**A/N #4:** So that's it from me...I have to get back to my assignment and midterm prep so that I can enjoy the premiere tonight without any worries. Have a great Thursday everyone!

* * *

><p><strong>Originally Published: <strong>October 11, 2012


	12. Ch 12: Newborn On Site

"**A Journey To Find A Lost Soul"**

**Chapter 12: Newborn On Site  
><strong>(Brand New World - Part 2)<strong>  
><strong>

**A/N #1: **Hey Everyone! How are you all doing? Are you enjoying the new episodes for the _Vampire Diaries_? I know I am! So I'm sorry for the delay in updates but I'm pleased to say that my semester has finally ended so I can freely write for the next 4 weeks! This update not only celebrates that but it's also being posted today to celebrate the fact that it's **Ian Somerhalder's **birthday! Woot! I just had to post today which is why this chapter may seem shorter than the others (which I was surprised by since I covered what I wanted to in this chapter). Anyways, I hope you enjoy it despite the length!

**A/N #2: **I just quickly wanted to say thank you to all my readers/reviewers/alerters for sticking with me! You guys are the best!

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own _Vampire Diaries_ or _Life With Derek_. They belong to their respective owners (I thank them for creating them in the first place).

* * *

><p><strong>Full<strong> **Summary**: Instead of visiting a dear friend alone, Damon takes along Elena just when a rogue vampire flips her car over [1x11]. As time goes on, Damon learns that it might not be Katherine that he needs in order to gain what he's missed most in the world. Will Damon finally get the ending he's been waiting for since he turned or are there just too many obstacles for him to handle? [Crossover yet VD-centric]

**Remember: **For _Vampire Diaries_, this is right after the episode where Elena sleeps with Stefan for the first time just before finding out that she's an exact physical replica to Katherine Pierce.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Vampire Diaries <strong>_**Timeline: **starts off at the beginning of Episode #1x11 – 'Bloodlines' (with focus only on Damon and Elena)

_**Life With Derek **_**Timeline****: **AU (due to specific changes) but it takes place when Casey and Derek (21 – 4th Year) are at Queen's University

* * *

><p><strong>LAST TIME:<strong>

"All I want is proof." Damon said with an innocent pout as if doing that would let her slide towards his line of thinking on the topic.

Casey shook her head. "Well the proof you want is bound to get us killed."

All playfulness was gone from Damon's demeanor as he looked straight at her. "I won't let that happen." He seriously declared.

"You can't guarantee something like that when werewolves are involved." She said with a sigh.

A slow smirk started to make its way across Damon's face; that sounded like a challenge to him. "Werewolf or not, I'm going to get my proof."

She rolled her eyes as she stood up and made her way towards him. "You are insufferable when you are like this, you know that?" She stated with a raised eyebrow at her brother before she moved to make herself a quick drink.

Damon laughed. "Oh I know yet you love me anyways." He quipped out of amusement as he gave her shoulder a little nudge.

Casey rolled her eyes once again yet she placed a quick kiss on Damon's cheek before she blurred up to her room with her drink in hand. It was time for her to shower and get ready for the carnival that night. She also missed her boyfriend too.

* * *

><p>*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Night of the Carnival (Friday February 26, 2010):<strong>

The carnival was in full swing and being quite a success for a day's worth of active preparation.

Elena and Bonnie were running around to make sure the carnival continued to run smoothly; the girls still couldn't believe that Caroline could handle it all like she does.

Casey and Derek were enjoying themselves as they wondered around the property. They rode a few rides, they won a few prizes and they remembered a few similar dates that they had shared before. For this couple, it was easy for them to forget all their troubles as they spent another night out on the town together.

Mason and Tyler arrived, after some delay, and went straight to their designated booth. As a member of the wrestling team, Tyler had to take part in an arm wrestling pseudo-tournament. Mason dropped by after some time, much to Damon's luck as the oldest Salvatore was keeping a close eye on Tyler, which is how Stefan found his obsessing brother. It wasn't until after Stefan lost an arm wrestling match to Mason did he start to take Damon's suspicions seriously. Normally Stefan wouldn't but Mason had beaten him with more strength than a human should have.

After setting a plan in motion for the Lockwoods (which Stefan agreed to oversee), Damon decided to take a walk, which had him running into Caroline (who got herself discharged from the hospital that night). A couple words were exchanged before Damon realized that Caroline had completed the transition into a vampire and it was all because Katherine had killed her the previous night. It wasn't long between Damon realized he was dealing with not only a confused Caroline, but a vengeful one as she remembered all the memories he compelled her to forget during their time together, when he used her as his human blood bag. His conclusion was only reaffirmed when she pushed him down hard in the school hallway before delivering Katherine's provoking message; _Game on_.

Once the newborn was out of his sights, Damon whipped out his phone and he dialed Casey's number. As he moved to find Elena, Damon told Casey the cliff-notes version about Caroline and how she needed to be stopped. Casey told Damon that she and Derek will handle it until he was able to join them before she hung up.

Damon didn't waste any time in locating Elena; it was easier for him now that he had this emotional link to her. The moment Elena saw him, he could feel her anger towards him but he pushed it off as he convinced her to come with him. Reluctantly she did.

Together they went searching for Stefan before they found an isolated classroom to discuss their new Caroline dilemma.

*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*

After hanging up with Damon, Casey linked her arms with Derek as they moved through the crowd while Casey retold everything she learned to Derek. He wouldn't admit it but he was stunned and slightly scared for Caroline; he could never picture her surviving as a vampire and he was afraid for her. Casey could feel Derek's worry which pushed her to find Caroline faster before something happened.

Going off of her instincts, Casey pulled Derek with her until they were in a less crowded area of the property where the noise level was dulled down a bit which was enough for Casey to pick up on Caroline's apology before muffled screams could be heard.

Casey spun around before she rushed to Caroline's direction. Derek tried to follow as best he could.

Casey arrived just in time to see Caroline pull away from her victim's neck before she reversed her position. Casey waited until Caroline pushed her victim further up the truck bed before she rushed the newborn, tackling her off the truck and into the pavement.

Both Caroline and the victim groaned for different reasons.

Once the initial impact wore off on the newborn, Caroline started to squirm underneath her straddled attacker.

Casey growled before she moved to pin Caroline's arms down. "Get control of yourself Caroline because I'm not above staking you in the stomach!" The hybrid hissed as she glared with her vampire face still showing.

Caroline blinked a few times at the creature on top of her. "Casey?" She questioned with her own vampire face still in place.

Casey's face returned to normal but she didn't loosen her grip on Caroline. "Don't make me stake you Caroline because I will."

Caroline froze underneath Casey's body before she tried to gain control again but she does struggle with it and the hybrid could see it. Caroline's face kept changing between its two forms. It was only after a groan caught Caroline's attention did her face turn back to normal.

"Did I kill him?" Caroline asked timidly as she shifted her eyes to look in her victim's direction. She didn't bother to fight Casey's grip on her hands; she was pinned.

Casey took a moment to focus on the groaning human. She could hear his heart beat slowing down as the blood continued to ooze from his neck. "He's fading fast Caroline." Casey reported before she looked down at the newborn. "I can save him but I'm not going to move if you're still a threat." She stated because she wasn't going to let an uncontrollable newborn loose when there is a crowd of humans just a few feet away. To Casey it was either the life of _one_ human or the life of _many_ in this aspect.

Caroline shook her head vigorously. "I won't move." She promised before her eyes started to water. "Please save him." She pleaded because she didn't want that man to die because of her.

Casey studied Caroline for a moment before she slowly got up. Caroline stood up with Casey but she remained in her spot like she promised. Satisfied with that, Casey moved to assess the human's condition before she bit into her wrist and forced her blood down the victim's throat.

"I don't know what's wrong with me." Caroline mumbled as she watched Casey work on the human.

"In a way you do." Casey said with a sigh before she looked up at Caroline. "You just don't want to believe it."

"But I can't be!" Caroline shrieked before she looked around to make sure no one heard her.

"But you are." Casey stated with a roll of her eyes before she looked down on the victim. "And this can't happen again Caroline. If I hadn't shown up, this guy would be dead because of you." The hybrid pointed out (she wasn't going to sugar-coat things at the moment) as she watched the victim's wounds heal. A few seconds later, Casey removed her wrist which allowed her own wound to heal.

Caroline's eyes widened at the thought of hurting someone again. "Don't say that! I didn't mean to attack him."

Before Casey could reply, the vampires were interrupted by a familiar voice shouting out Casey's name as he slowly approached.

Caroline was stunned to see Derek making a run for Casey while not being phased by the bloody body beside his girlfriend. _Did he know?_

"Are you okay? You just took off." Derek questioned a little out of breath once he was beside Casey.

Casey nodded to her boyfriend. "I'm fine."

Derek sighed in relief before he noticed the body beside Casey. "Is he…?"

"He'll be fine." Casey confirmed before she asked for her purse from Derek; she had left it behind when she took off. She grabbed a few spare napkins from her purse before she wiped any trace of blood off of her wrist and off of the victim's healed neck.

"Why aren't you affected?" Caroline questioned as she watched Casey remain calm and collected while cleaning the blood off of her victim. Caroline was still tempted to attack not only the victim but Derek was well, which scared her and yet she was perplexed that Casey wasn't as out of control as she was. But they were the same creature…right?

Derek gave Caroline a confused look while Casey continued to clean up Caroline's mess but she still asked what Caroline was referring to.

"Your face was like mine yet your saving him instead of attacking him…why?" Caroline elaborated while still remaining in her promised spot; she didn't want to get staked.

Before Casey could explain, Damon beat her to it while arriving to the scene. "She has more control than you." He stated before he took in the scene before him. He took notice of the girls' rumpled looks and he couldn't help but smirk. "It looks like I missed a potential cat fight."

Casey rolled her eyes as she finished off. "Damon don't start."

"What? I'm just saying." Damon stated with a shrug before he turned serious as he faced Caroline, taking note of her bloody face and ruined mascara from the tears. "Now what are we going to do about you?" He whispered as he slowly brushed a strand of her hair behind her ears before his hand settled to the back of her neck. Caroline immediately tensed as she was fully aware of how ruthless Damon could be to her.

"I said I'll handle it Damon." Casey called out as she reassessed the unconscious human again. Luckily he was just sleeping it off and with good reason too if some of the brief images that Casey got said anything.

"And I told you what happened last time…it's only a matter of time before she goes on a killing spree and exposes the rest of us to the council." He fired back without taking his eyes off of Caroline. He didn't want another Vicki repeat and he definitely didn't want the council on his ass again, especially after he used Lexi to get them off of it in the first place.

Casey sighed. "Then we won't let that happen." She stated as she switched spots with Derek; he moved to sit on the truck bed while she moved to stand by it. He wordlessly agreed to watch over the sleepy human while Casey addressed the current vampire issue.

Damon turned his head to face Casey. "Need I remind you that you don't live here anymore Case…that kind of complicates things."

"Then you'll take over for me." Casey stated firmly while giving her brother a pointed look.

Damon scoffed. "That's not going to happen."

Casey cocked an eyebrow at Damon. "Why not? We've done it before with excellent results might I add." She pointed out and she was right. Together they not only managed to gain their own controls but they were able to teach control to many vampires that were sired by Casey.

"After how I treated her, I doubt she'd listen to me of all people."Damon argued back but when he noticed that Caroline was going to reply, he gave the back of her neck a tight squeeze. This resulted in her snapping her mouth shut before she could interrupt the older vampires; Damon was pleased by this.

"You don't know that." Casey said while already knowing why Damon was thinking the way he was.

Damon gave his sister an incredulous look. "Really? Well what would you do if you were in her shoes Casey? Would you take guidance from the very vampire that screwed you over time and time again before he erased any trace of your history with him from your mind?" Caroline cringed when she heard for herself what Damon had done to her when she was human. The newborn may have been scared but she did have to agree with her ex. She wouldn't listen to him, not now, not ever.

"I would if it increased my odds in surviving and staying under the radar when it came to humans." Casey deadpanned while looking between Damon and Caroline. Damon's eyes narrowed while Caroline's took on a wide-eyed expression.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Well you did always think logically in a time of crisis." He quipped while still having a hold on Caroline, who's brow furrowed out of confusion.

Casey chuckled before she looked over her shoulder to see Derek smirking at her. She pouted at her boyfriend before she turned back to the other vampires, mainly to address the newborn. "So what will it be Caroline, learn our ways or fend for yourself. I can assure you that one path will have fewer casualties than the other."

"I could always offer up another option." Stefan butted in before Caroline could reply as he and Elena arrived onto the scene. They had only arrived then due to Stefan just picking up on their voices with his enhanced hearing a few moments ago.

The newcomers, however, didn't notice how Caroline had tensed and shifted closer to Damon as she kept a terrifying eye on Elena. Damon didn't push her away as he noticed the looks that Caroline was giving Elena. He couldn't really blame the newborn for her reaction; she still thought that Elena had killed her in the hospital.

In order to keep his _protective_ move from being noticed, Damon scoffed at Stefan's offer. "And have her turn out like you? She'll pass."

Stefan scowled at his brother. "It's better than having her end up like you."

"I doubt that." Damon said with a roll of his eyes.

Before the Salvatore brothers fought over which method would be best for the group's newborn, the group's witch stumbled upon them.

"What's going on out here?" Bonnie asked before she froze at the sight of Caroline with blood around her mouth. After speaking with Matt earlier, Bonnie had an odd suspicion that something was wrong with her friend, so while looking for Caroline, she had this overwhelming feeling of going to the vacant parking lot behind the school. She just never thought she'd find what she did. "Caroline?"

No one made a move as they watched the witch digest what was right in front of her. The wait was causing Damon to become restless since he could feel Caroline's tension and confusion just by her close proximity to him while he could feel overwhelming levels of concern and dread coming from Elena. Both sets of emotions were driving the vampire crazy, so to speak. So no one could blame Damon when he suddenly tensed when Bonnie rushed towards him and Caroline. It wasn't that he was afraid of the witch; he was simply reacting to Elena's fear and Caroline's tense posture.

"No, you're not…it can't be." Bonnie mumbled to herself, yet all the vampires heard her, before she came into contact with Caroline's wrist. Images of Caroline attacking the carnival employee Bonnie had been flirting with earlier and of the nurse that Caroline fed on before had flashed through Bonnie's mind before she gasped and snapped her hand back. A look of terror was now present on the witch's face as she looked to the newborn.

"Bonnie?" Caroline didn't know what had just happened but she could tell that it wasn't good. Those suspicions were proven true moments later when Bonnie took a few steps away from her. Tears started to form in Caroline's eyes when she saw Bonnie's fear and disgust directed at her before they drifted to the truck bed.

Damon sighed before he mumbled to Caroline to take a deep breath before he practically ordered Stefan to take Caroline inside to get cleaned up. Originally he wanted Casey to handle Caroline but they didn't really know each other and he didn't want to be stuck alone with judgy teenagers.

For once, Stefan didn't argue with Damon as he ushered Caroline inside.

Once the back door closed between Stefan and Caroline, Damon turned to glare at Bonnie. "Nice going…you just interrupted a very important conversation." Damon said with annoyance as Casey moved to check on the sleeping human again. Derek shifted in his spot a bit as he watched Casey do her thing.

"This can't be happening." Bonnie mumbled as she moved towards the truck while completely ignoring Damon's pseudo-scolding.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Would you relax? The guy is still alive…right Case?" He questioned as he moved closer to the truck.

Casey nodded. "Nothing a little blood couldn't heal. He's just sleeping it off."

Elena exhaled deeply due to the news but it didn't look like Bonnie was absorbing that piece of information in as she stared blankly at the sleeping body.

Damon smirked, a residual reaction to Elena's relief. "See, no big deal. Crisis averted." He stated before he felt the annoying pull in his head again. He immediately turned to glare at Bonnie, who had this concentrated look on her face again that he associated with her using magic.

Before Damon could make a move against Bonnie to teach her a little lesson, Casey beat him to it. The hybrid didn't have to look to know when magic was being used around her so the instant she sensed it, she pounced. One moment Casey was by Derek on the truck bed and in a split second, she was choking Bonnie while letting her hang in midair.

Elena gasped at the sight before her while Derek tensed. While Derek knew about Casey's gruesome past, it was still odd for him to see Casey revert back to her old habits when it came to dealing with threats. He knew that Casey wouldn't harm Bonnie but he wasn't sure how far his girlfriend would go to drive a message home.

Damon just smirked as he watched his sister do her thing. "You really shouldn't have done that." He protested to Bonnie while crossing his arms over his chest.

"It...was...your...fault." Bonnie spat out to Damon while trying to loosen Casey's grip on her neck.

The hybrid never loosened her grip. It wasn't hard enough that it would kill Bonnie but her grip applied enough pressure so that performing magic at that moment would be difficult for Bonnie to do.

"That's where you're wrong." Casey hissed as she lowered Bonnie down so that they were face-to-face. The hybrid didn't care that tears were starting to form on the edges of the young witch's eyes.

Elena moved to get to Casey's side, to convince her to let her friend go but Damon stopped her, telling her that Bonnie needed to hear what Casey had to say. He also reminded her of Buffalo and how protective Casey got when it came to threats against him or those she loved. Elena sighed, knowing that Damon had a point even though she was still mad at him, but she was still worried for her friend.

"Let's get one thing straight, Caroline is not a vampire because of Damon. Sure his blood turned her but it was _your_ lies about the Gilbert device that had Caroline in the hospital in the first place." Casey declared venomously as her predatory personality kicked in; she was never soft with people that needed to learn a lesson. Tough love is what she believed from time to time.

Bonnie didn't want to believe Casey's words. In the young witch's mind, Damon was the cause of all their problems since he came to town…there was just no other reason. Elena, on the other hand, listened to Casey's words without question. It did scare her that the vampire before her wasn't acting like the one she originally met a few months back but she couldn't really blame Casey; Bonnie had tried to use magic to hurt Damon which forced Casey to retaliate. That's another thing too…why didn't Bonnie's magic affect Damon? It did before so why not now?

Before Elena could ponder on her new question any further, Casey's voice brought her back to reality. "Your vendetta has done more harm than good and the ones paying for it are the ones _you_ care for. It's best that you remember that before you make a move of any kind." The hybrid practically growled before she loosened her grip on Bonnie's neck, causing the teenager to fall to the ground as she gasped for some much needed air.

Elena rushed to Bonnie's side while Casey walked back to Damon's side. The siblings exchanged a few hushed words before Casey woke the human up to compel the night's events away for him before she and Derek took him home. Casey would then compel him again to take a sick day, just until the vampire blood was out of his system. They didn't need Katherine to turn another human.

While the couple dealt with the recovering human, Damon stayed in the shadows to keep an eye on Elena and Bonnie until they left the vacant parking lot. Only then did Damon leave to go home, completely unaware that Elena soon followed his lead shortly after bumping into Stefan by her locker.

*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*

Damon had returned to the boarding house before the couple but he was surprised to find that he wasn't alone; sitting down by the fireplace was Jeremy. There was definitely some awkwardness between them as it was the first time they've faced one another since their confrontation the previous night in Elena's room. Jeremy knew that he should keep his distance from Damon while the vampire knew that he had to do something to ease the human's fear…or face his sister's wrath.

"Shouldn't you be at home?" Damon questioned as he made his way towards his liquor trolley.

Jeremy shrugged. "I got worried." Damon's brow furrowed which prompted Jeremy to elaborate about his worry for Casey when she had promised to hang out with him at the carnival yet she never showed.

"She's fine. She'll be back soon." Damon supplied with nod before he took a sip of his newly made drink; it still surprised him when Casey befriended people as quickly as she does.

Jeremy nodded as he fiddled with the vervain bracelet that Casey had given him that morning. Damon noticed.

"Is that the bracelet that Casey gave you?" Damon questioned in hopes of getting a conversation going; he figured that Casey would be a safe topic to breach. If it were up to him, he'd just leave the teenager to wait but the vampire knew if he did that, he'd never hear the end of it from his sister.

Jeremy looked up and gave the vampire a questioning look but when he didn't elaborate, Jeremy just sighed. "Oh yeah, it is." He said while twirling the bracelet around his wrist. "I still don't get why she got it for me." He mumbled to himself but Damon heard him loud and clear.

"Casey does caring things like that. It's best not to question it." Damon quipped before he took another sip of his drink.

"She cares about you." Jeremy boldly stated a few moments later. He immediately noticed how the vampire froze in refilling his glass before his attention focused on him.

"And I care about her, what's your point?" Damon said tensely as he gave the teenager a suspicious look while moving to refill his glass again.

Jeremy shrugged; he wasn't completely sure why he brought his observation up in the first place. "I'm not sure but she told me not to be mad at you…for almost killing me."

Damon chuckled behind his glass before he lowered it. "If it makes you feel better, I got a lecture from her which pretty much sobered me up." He quipped before raising his glass and taking a sip.

Jeremy smirked as he found the thought of sweet-Casey reprimanding badass-Damon; it was a humorous thought.

Taking the smirk as a good sign, Damon decided to get the worst part over with. "For what it's worth, and if you repeat this I will deny it but…I do apologize for my lack of control last night." He sincerely stated before he finished off his drink. It was odd for Damon as this was the second time that he had apologized to Jeremy in less than a week.

Jeremy tilted his head to the side as he regarded Damon's apology; he knew that it was sincere like the other one. "Because of my sister?" He guessed a few moments later after remembering what Casey had said to Damon to calm him down the previous night; she had mentioned something about not letting Katherine and Elena's words affect him.

Damon shrugged. "Well in all fairness, the doppelgangers tend to drive me a little crazy and not in the way I like." He quipped even though to him it came out a little forced.

Jeremy chuckled a little bit. "Okay but only because Casey told me to cut you some slack."

"Well like I said before, Casey is always right." Damon stated with a smirk before he heard the front door open and close.

"Indeed I am but what am I right about this time?" Casey jumped in playfully as she appeared in the doorway with Derek coming up behind her.

Damon laughed. "Speak of the devil."

"Oh you wound me Damon." Casey pouted even though there was a playful glint in her eye.

"Yeah, yeah."Damon replied as he refilled his glass one last time. He then moved to place a goodnight kiss on Casey's cheek before he headed up to his room. He shouted his goodbyes on his way upstairs.

Casey laughed before she greeted Jeremy. The couple chatted with the teenager a bit before Jeremy had to head on home. It wasn't long before the couple turned in for the night after the long day that they've had.

While the couple slept, Damon was later visited by Stefan with a Lockwood update. He reported that he had witnessed Mason perform a few unnatural moves during Damon's compelled experiment. Damon didn't like it but Casey's werewolf theory was becoming more plausible with every clue he uncovered. Damon spent the remainder of the night trying to figure out his next move.

Pleased that he wasn't needed for his brother's brainstorm session, Stefan made his way towards Elena's place to jump start on her request from earlier; to be kissed at the top of the Ferris wheel.

* * *

><p>*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*LWD*VD*<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN #3: **And there you have it! Moments that weren't mentioned like the scenes between Mason/Tyler or Matt/Caroline still happened like on the show but I really wanted to focus on Damon and/or Casey scenes. I'm finding that Casey's presence can definitely alter how things progress…**what do you think about the changes?** I personally loved it when Casey was choking Bonnie only because I hated Bonnie during that moment when the episode first aired (no one hurts Damon and gets away with it)…I just had to have Casey do something to retaliate, if you catch my drift.

**A/N #4: **I'm just going to take this time to say that I posted a new Supernatural/Vampire Diaries crossover story today (also because it is Ian's birthday) titled **"More Than A Petrova"**. I hope you give it a chance and check it out! Either way, have a great weekend everyone!

* * *

><p><strong>Originally Published: <strong>December 8, 2012


End file.
